Proposal of a Roadmap for Unmanned Inspection of Offshore Wind Power Facilities Utilizing AUVs and Other Technologies

Toyo Engineering Corporation (Eiji Hosoi, President and CEO; hereinafter "TOYO"), in collaboration with Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd. (Yukihito Ishiwa, President and Representative Director; hereinafter "NSE"), FullDepth Co., Ltd. (Tomoji Yoshiga, President and CEO; hereinafter "FullDepth"), and Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (Takahiro Mori, President and CEO; hereinafter "OKI"), has proposed a roadmap for the social implementation of a system that utilizes AUVs*¹ (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) and other technologies to automate underwater inspection work for offshore wind power facilities. This roadmap outlines the future vision of underwater inspection systems using AUVs and similar technologies, aimed at reducing risks and achieving unmanned operations for offshore wind power facilities, which are expected to expand in the future.

This project was conducted following its selection for the "Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Utilization Demonstration Project" by the Cabinet Office's Secretariat for the Promotion of Comprehensive Ocean Policy.

Overview of the Demonstration Test In preparation for creating the roadmap, a demonstration test was conducted in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in October 2025, combining an ROV*² (Remotely Operated Vehicle), an ASV*³ (Autonomous Surface Vehicle), and an AUV. In this test, inspection work—including video recording and sonar (detection using sound waves)—was performed on the underwater sections of the observation target*⁴. Technical and operational challenges (such as inspection methods for the seabed and operational structures) toward the autonomization and unmanned operation of underwater inspection work were identified.

For details on this demonstration test, please watch the PR video here: https://youtu.be/GWxvVzF5R9M

[YouTube Video Embed] PR video of the demonstration test: Provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the background, the test process, and the results.

Proposal of a Roadmap for AUV Social Implementation Based on the challenges identified in the demonstration test, the future vision of underwater inspection systems for 2030 and 2040 was examined with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing costs for underwater inspection of offshore wind power facilities. Specifically, the organization was based on the optimal placement of marine robotics such as AUVs, including system configurations that combine ASVs and AUVs to perform wide-area inspection work autonomously and without human intervention. Additionally, milestones for the early social implementation of AUVs and similar technologies by 2030, such as continuous technical development, verification, and long-term implementation testing, were organized and proposed as a roadmap.

[Illustration: Future vision of an inspection system utilizing AUVs and other marine robotics envisioned for 2040*⁵. ① Hovering AUVs grasp their own position through positioning support from surface reference points and inspect mooring lines and power cables. ② ASVs receive data collected by AUVs via underwater communication and transmit it to a DX panel. ③ When the AUV's battery level drops, it autonomously moves to a seabed station for charging and data communication. ④ Cruising AUVs grasp their own position through positioning support from seabed reference points and inspect the condition of seabed cables using sonar, etc. Illustration: ©Toyo Engineering]

【TOYO's Main Initiatives】 ■ Conceptual Study for the Commercialization of Service Providers To commercialize maintenance and inspection services for offshore wind power operators, it is essential to have a "service provider" that not only possesses the technical capability to utilize marine robotics like AUVs, but also integrates the technologies and systems of diverse partners—including equipment developers, owners, operators, and IT service providers—to comprehensively support user decision-making and execution. In this project, the role of the service provider, its business model, and its ecosystem were examined and organized, assuming maintenance and inspection work for offshore wind power projects.

[Illustration: Conceptual diagram of value creation by service providers in the offshore wind power business]

Conceptual Study of a Marine Data Utilization Platform Marine robotics such as AUVs are expected to serve as core marine observation assets for acquiring marine data, which is currently in short supply domestically. In this project, we proposed the construction of a "Marine Data Space*⁶" as a foundation to safely and rapidly distribute and promote the utilization of marine data obtained through the use of these assets, and conducted technical and operational studies. Realizing this foundation will contribute not only to the offshore wind power business but also to cross-sectoral marine data utilization across diverse industrial fields such as fisheries and marine resource development, as well as the strengthening of MDA*⁷ (Maritime Domain Awareness).

Future Outlook Looking ahead to the social implementation of AUVs and similar technologies around 2030, TOYO aims to create new value in the marine industry through initiatives such as the commercialization of service providers for offshore wind power projects and the construction of marine data utilization platforms that contribute to the strengthening of MDA.

【Reference Information】 Implementation Structure This project was jointly implemented by the following four companies. Please check each company's website for details on their primary responsibilities.

[Table: TOYO (Project management, roadmap creation, service provider/data platform study), NSE (Demonstration test management, operational challenges, service provider/data platform study), FullDepth (Provision/operation of ROV "DiveUnit 300 Lite", technical challenges for AUV development), OKI (Provision/operation of fixed measurement barge "SEATEC NEO", technical challenges for underwater infrastructure development)]

Notes *1 AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle): An unmanned submersible that moves autonomously without human instruction. In this demonstration test, "Tri-TON," developed by the Maki Laboratory at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, was used. *2 ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle): An unmanned submersible that dives underwater via remote control. In this demonstration test, "DiveUnit 300 Lite" manufactured by FullDepth was used. *3 ASV (Autonomous Surface Vehicle): An unmanned vessel that navigates the water surface via autonomous control. In this demonstration test, the small vessel "Eight Knot I," equipped with the autonomous navigation platform "Eight Knot AI CAPTAIN" developed by Eight Knot Inc., was used. *4 Observation target: In this demonstration test, the underwater section of the fixed measurement barge "SEATEC NEO" owned by OKI was used as the observation target. *5 Future vision of an inspection system utilizing AUVs and other marine robotics envisioned for 2040: An image of the inspection system around 2040, which has achieved fully autonomous and unmanned inspection work by advancing technology and systems from the early social implementation phase in 2030. *6 Data Space: A standardized mechanism that allows data to be shared with guaranteed reliability between different organizations, countries (ecosystems), and industries. *Quoted from: Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), Japan: Introduction to Data Spaces. *7 MDA (Maritime Domain Awareness): An initiative to continuously collect, integrate, and analyze information related to maritime security and maritime use to comprehensively grasp the situation.