Drone boats perform as fleet amid Wanshan islands

Yunzhou Intelligent Technology recently completed a complex drill of the world's greatest number of unmanned surface vessels (USV) in the Wanshan Archipelago, with a fleet of 56 of the small vessels.

The previous record for drilling a fleet of drone boats was held by the United States and involved 40 USVs.

The domestically produced robot boats passed complex technical tests regarding rapid assembly, maintaining formation, automatic group change, avoiding obstacles, and navigating accurately in tumultuous waters. Dynamically assigned tasks were also fulfilled under fault-tolerant control.

Also known as Oceanalpha, Yunzhou Tech debuted the multi-vessel formation during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Feb 15, when 81 lighted USVs formed an "arrow" that shot under the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

USV fleet formation drill [Printscreen from video by Oceanalpha]

The company's mastery of key technology in the field is among the best in the nation and has solved tasks that a single unmanned boat cannot perform in frequently changing water conditions.

Oceanalpha is the first private USV developer and supplier in the country. It was established in the Zhuhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone of Tangjiawan in 2010. Its products sample water, survey lake floor topography, track pollution sources, study lake and coastal waters, and predict algae blooms.

The company has made significant technological advancements through independent research and development. These include breakthrough developments in multi-sensor intelligent systems, remote broadband transmission, and overall boat design. Its core technological patents account for about a quarter of the industry's total worldwide.

Although a newcomer to the field of USV formations, the company is eager to surpass developed countries in the field, according to Zhang Yunfei, founder of Oceanalpha. Zhang is also a selected expert in the national Thousand Talent Program.