The ORCA Hub: Explainable Offshore Robotics through Intelligent Interfaces

TL;DR

The ORCA Hub project aims to develop explainable autonomous offshore robotic systems that enhance safety, efficiency, and reduce personnel needs by providing transparent and trustworthy interactions between robots and remote operators.

Contribution

This paper introduces the ORCA Hub initiative, focusing on integrating explainability into offshore robotic systems to improve operator trust and safety in complex environments.

Findings

Development of autonomous systems with high transparency.

Improved operator trust through explainable AI.

Potential reduction in offshore personnel requirements.

Abstract

We present the UK Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Hub for Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA Hub), a 3.5 year EPSRC funded, multi-site project. The ORCA Hub vision is to use teams of robots and autonomous intelligent systems (AIS) to work on offshore energy platforms to enable cheaper, safer and more efficient working practices. The ORCA Hub will research, integrate, validate and deploy remote AIS solutions that can operate with existing and future offshore energy assets and sensors, interacting safely in autonomous or semi-autonomous modes in complex and cluttered environments, co-operating with remote operators. The goal is that through the use of such robotic systems offshore, the need for personnel will decrease. To enable this to happen, the remote operator will need a high level of situation awareness and key to this is the transparency of what the autonomous systems are doing and why. This increased transparency will facilitate a trusting relationship, which is particularly key in high-stakes, hazardous situations.