The ARES Project
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Funding Agency:
Italian Ministry of University and Research
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Domain:
Maritime & Ports
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Duration:
36 months
- Official Website
Project overview
- ARES is coordinated by a consortium of major industrial and academic partners including SEASTEMA, So.pro.mar., Next Geosolutions, CNR, University of Calabria, University of Genova, Sapienza University of Rome, MAR.TE, and others. It integrates shipbuilding, robotics, ICT, and environmental monitoring to create an RD&I ecosystem aligned with Italy's Blue Growth strategy. The project targets technology transfer, regulatory development for marine drones and sustainable innovation. Through cooperation between research and industry, ARES supports national and EU strategic agendas for maritime technologies. The final goal is a robust Italian capability in extended autonomous naval operations.
- ARES aims to develop a new paradigm in marine technologies by integrating research vessels and multi-purpose ships with fleets of autonomous underwater and surface drones. The project supports dual-use naval applications, environmental disaster response, and offshore energy operations. Key goals include developing low-cost AMVs, advanced marine sensors, IoT communication systems, and a dynamic positioning system. It promotes innovation through the creation of start-ups and SMEs, especially in less-developed regions. ARES spans research, prototyping, and field validation over a three-year period.
Project results
- The development of a virtual marine environment (HLA compliant) to support the integration and validation of ARES subsystems.
- A dedicated user interface to create simulations for testing interactions between drones, sensors, and naval platforms.
- The simulation of realistic maritime scenarios, including environmental conditions and different vehicles coordination.
- the validation of control algorithms, including Dynamic Position, for the extended ship and system interoperability.
ARES Consortium
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CNR, Italy
Project Coordinator
CNR contributes to the development and integration of technologies for autonomous marine vehicles, focusing on propulsion systems, environmental sensing, and cooperative control. It also supports validation in simulated and real-world maritime scenarios.
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Hybrid-electric propulsion systems
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Environmental sensors
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Fleet coordination algorithms
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SEASTEMA S.p.A., Italy
Project Partner
SEASTEMA leads system-level design and integration, developing command and control architectures for both manned and unmanned vessels, and overseeing testing of onboard automation and navigation systems.
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System architecture
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Command & control
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Onboard integration
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Navigation systems
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System testing
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Next Geosolutions Europe S.p.A., Italy
Project Partner
Next Geosolutions supports field validation of technologies developed in ARES, offering operational scenarios, testing platforms, and expertise in marine surveying and data acquisition at sea.
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Field testing operations
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Mission design support
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Marine survey services
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Data acquisition tool
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Support Vessel and crew
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So.Pro.Mar. S.p.A., Italy
Project Partner
So.Pro.Mar. supports the mechanical design and construction of marine vehicle platforms and is responsible for integration and testing of propulsion and sensor subsystems for ARES prototypes.
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Advanced Mechanical design
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Vehicle construction
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Subsystem integration
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Propulsion testing
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Sensor integration
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MAR.TE S.c.ar.l., Italy
Project Partner
MAR.TE contributes to mission planning and fleet coordination, supporting the development of automation strategies and digital technologies for cooperative autonomous operations in maritime contexts.
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Mission planning tools
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Autonomous fleet control
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Digital twin integration
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Maritime automation
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AI-based coordination
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APHIA S.r.l., Italy
Project Partner
APHIA develops communication, navigation and environmental data management tools for autonomous marine vehicles, and contributes to the design of mission planning and remote operation interfaces.
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Marine data handling
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Comms and networking
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Remote interfaces
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Mission planning tools
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Sensor integration
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DIAMEC TECHNOLOGY S.r.l., Italy
Project Partner
DIAMEC TECHNOLOGY provides expertise in sensor systems and supports the development and integration of embedded electronics and advanced navigation hardware for unmanned marine vehicles.
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Navigation hardware
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Embedded electronics
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Sensor integration
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Integration support
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Mechatronic systems
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Geocart S.p.A., Italy
Project Partner
Geocart contributes to the ARES project in multiple ways and approaches, by designing and integrating advanced remote sensing systems onboard the drone fleet. The company specializes in LiDAR technology, optical sensors and geospatial data analysis.
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LiDAR integration
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Remote sensing data
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Geospatial analysis
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Sensor calibration
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UAV data processing
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University of Calabria, Italy
Academic Partner
The University of Calabria developed the simulation environment for ARES, supporting hardware-in-the-loop testing, scenario validation, and pre-deployment optimization of drone systems and cooperative behaviors.
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Simulation platform
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Virtual marine scenes
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Hardware-in-the-loop
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Behavior validation
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Pre-trial testing
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University of Genoa, Italy
Academic Partner
The University of Genoa contributes to the design and testing of intelligent control architectures for autonomous marine systems, focusing on decision support and adaptive behaviors for coordinated missions.
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Adaptive behaviors
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Intelligent control
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Mission coordination
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Decision support
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Autonomous logic
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Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Academic Partner
Sapienza University of Rome supports the development of machine learning methods for environmental awareness, enabling the drone system to recognize obstacles and react dynamically in real-time conditions.
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Machine learning
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Real-time detection
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Obstacle recognition
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Sensor data fusion
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Cognitive models
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University of Bologna, Italy
Academic Partner
The University of Bologna supports environmental and acoustic sensing tasks in ARES, developing technologies for target recognition and passive listening to assist autonomous operations and surveillance missions.
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Acoustic sensors
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Passive listening
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Target recognition
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Surveillance support
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Signal processing
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We always want to connect with other Research Institutions and Companies
Research must always be a beneficial extended as much as possible and we look forward to partnering with other Universities and Companies to achieve new goals.
- Website: www.msc-les.org
- Email: info@msc-les.org
- Phone: +39 0984 494891