The new project co-financed by POR-FESR 2014-2020
Tech Fast is the call for proposals from the European Fund for Regional Development in Lombardy, which promoted Aeffe S.r.l.’s Keelcrab project as the first successful bidder in the region, and confirms its desire to bring Lombardy’s excellence in mechatronics to the world.
In fact, the MaxiCrab project, ID 3156753 was 50 percent co-financed with public funds from the Tech Fast of FESR 2014 – 2020 in participation with theLombardy Region and the European Union.
MaxiCrab: underwater drone for cleaning yacht hulls
Hull cleaning has a direct impact on fuel consumption and thus on the production of climate-changing gases and operating costs. The problem has been exacerbated by rising water temperatures (which promotes the proliferation of algae on hulls) and legislation restricting the use of biocides in hull paints (again not combating algae on hulls).
We have already successfully brought to market Keelcrab, a optimal human-machine cooperation: the drone performs the cleaning tasks underwater, and the human guides it with a console with display connected to the camera on the drone. We have already sold more than 250 of them for pleasure boats up to 24 m, in more than 50 countries around the world (90% of foreign sales) entirely produced in the Bulgarograsso (Co) workshop.
The purpose of the MaxiCrab project is to prototype and test a new underwater drone of larger size and advanced functionality for yachts (24 to 50 m in length): will have a wider cleaning brush, more hull adhesion power, new electronic board, additional digital operator support features, revised design.
