“Pirania” – an underwater drone for monitoring critical infrastructure – has passed its first tests

This week, a prototype of the Pirania underwater drone, developed by scientists from Gdańsk University of Technology, was tested in Sobieszewo in the Pomeranian region. The device is intended for monitoring critical infrastructure, including cables and pipelines on the Baltic Sea floor. During the test, a full operational scenario was carried out, from deployment to object identification.

Polish underwater drone – cooperation between science and industry

Pirania is the result of cooperation between engineers from Gdańsk University of Technology and a Pomeranian technology company. This successful partnership enabled the project to develop from an initial idea to a fully functional prototype in just five months. The vehicle is 140 cm long and weighs 50 kg.

According to the rector of Gdańsk University of Technology, Professor Krzysztof Wilde, the successful test mission of Pirania confirms that the Gdańsk-based university is capable of turning research expertise into concrete solutions addressing current challenges. The underwater drone was created as a practical response to the need to protect the fragile security of maritime areas, in particular the need to safeguard critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Pirania passed the test with flying colors

The test organized in Sobieszewo, Gdańsk, was public and attracted a considerable number of interested observers. Elements of the event simulated real inspection missions at sea – the device was checked for communication capabilities and manually deployed from an artificial quay. The mission itself involved locating submerged objects, imaging them using a camera and sonar, and safely returning to shore. Everything proceeded according to plan.

For the project team, the most important achievement was successfully completing the entire planned mission scenario and confirming the operation of the vehicle’s key functions in practice, says Tomasz Sauer, head of the Deep-Sea Technology Laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology. These functions include maneuvering capability, object identification, communication with the onshore team, and imaging in challenging underwater conditions.

According to the project’s authors, Pirania has the potential for wide application in both the military and civilian sectors. It can be used, among other things, for monitoring ports, quays, and offshore infrastructure, detecting anomalies on the seabed, or searching for missing objects. As a result, it will enable fast and precise identification of issues crucial to national security and maritime transport.

Importance of the solution for critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea

The enclosed basin of the Baltic Sea is of great importance for the defense, energy, and economic security of the surrounding countries, and beyond. The critical infrastructure located within it primarily includes gas pipelines, subsea power and telecommunications cables, and fiber-optic networks, all of which are essential for a modern economy based on digital data transmission.

Unfortunately, Baltic critical infrastructure has been the target of numerous hybrid attacks in recent years, including activities by the so-called shadow fleet as well as acts of sabotage carried out by various units. Responsibility for these incidents is difficult to prove, especially since some damage is accidental, for example occurring during ship anchoring. Drones patrolling and monitoring the seabed may prove to be key tools for rapidly detecting problems, identifying perpetrators, and conducting repair operations. Solutions such as Pirania may also be highly useful in the context of the increasingly common offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, which are expected to become an important element of Poland’s energy sector in the future.

It is therefore no surprise that both the EU and NATO have repeatedly emphasized the need for active protection of strategic infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine and political and economic rivalry with Russia.

---

main photo: Dawid Linkowski/PG