Sub Lieutenant Ali Said Al Hashmi of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) received a patent for a robotic device that performs underwater maintenance and repair of ship hulls.

The patent was registered at the national office of intellectual property of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The innovation is envisaged to reduce the use of human divers in ship hulls’ repair underwater in future. The device is fitted with sensors and it is capable of detecting holes in the hulls of ships, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

The device is capable of sticking to any part of the hull at various angles and structures, to quickly bridge the holes before they aggravate. This contributes to restoring the hull to its normal position in record time and avoid having to lift the vessel for maintenance.

The device is distinguished for high water insulation, oxidation resistance and a wireless control feature that allows sending electromagnetic vibrations to communicate commands underwater.

The innovation can be used in different navigational situations to carry out maintenance and repair operations on submerged hulls in record time.

Sub Lieutenant Ali Said Al Hashmi is currently embarked on designing the first experimental model for this innovation.