The £2m system from BAE's underwater systems division in Waterlooville works independently of personnel once a mission has been programmed and has enjoyed a 100% success rate during sea trials.

Seaeye has established expertise through pioneering work in using brushless DC motors for thrusters systems in its own ROVs. Their task was to provide propulsion for Talisman that would offer extremely delicate manoeuvrability in difficult conditions, including strong currents, over an extended period of time.

Talisman can be deployed 50 miles offshore and remains in operation for 24 hours.

With BAE wanting commercially available equipment, Seaeye proposed their proven SM5 thrusters, the same that propel their Panther Plus ROVs and similar to that used in the Cougar ROV. The command protocol for the thrusters was made available to BAE for incorporation into the Talisman control system.

Precise handling in all directions comes from six thrusters, two at the front and four at the back in two pairs.

A Seaeye rotary actuator is used to vector each pair of thrusters and to operate the hydroplanes. The vector was originally developed for pan and tilt operations and is widely used in a range of ROVs. It incorporates a brushless DC motor with a harmonic drive output stage that provides a high torque with zero backlash, making it ideal or this particular application.

With reliability a vital element in the project, BAE opted for Seaeye's own metal shell connectors. These were developed by Seaeye when rubber moulded connectors had become a major reliability problem and where a suitable off the shelf metal alternative could not be found.

MJInformation No: 21807