An AI-enhanced vessel detection system, developed by researchers from Trinity College Dublin, has been awarded funding to help enhance the Irish Naval Service's defence capabilities.
The project, Sea-Scan, can detect so-called "dark" vessels which operate without active transponders.
It uses acoustic sensing technologies to turn existing undersea telecommunications cables into a vast underwater sensor network.
The Sea-Scan team, led by Professor Marco Ruffini and Dr John Kennedy at TCD and Defence Forces Liaison Cdr Cathal Power, won the Research Ireland - Defence Innovation Challenge and has been awarded prize funding under the Maritime Situational Awareness Challenge.
A project called MASH - Mobile Adaptable SHelter, developed by researchers from UCD, won runner-up funding.
It involves a modular, rapidly deployable, multi-purpose shelter system for defence and humanitarian needs.
Minister for Defence Helen McEntee announced over €1.8 million in prize phase funding under the Research Ireland - Defence Innovation Challenge.
The challenge is aimed at unlocking the power of research to develop innovative solutions to enhance the capabilities of the Defence Forces at a time of increased global focus on defence readiness.
It comes as the Government publishes a new five-year National Maritime Strategy aimed at protecting Ireland maritime interests and enhancing national security and defence.
"AI-driven technologies like Sea-Scan will significantly enhance maritime situational awareness, supporting the Naval Service in safeguarding our waters and responding swiftly to emerging challenges," Ms McEntee said.
Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said projects such as Sea-Scan have the potential to significantly enhance the Naval Service's maritime situational awareness, supporting the ability to monitor, protect and respond within Ireland's maritime domain.
"Equally, the Mobile Adaptable SHelter project represents an important advancement in deployable infrastructure, offering flexible, rapidly deployable shelter solutions that can support Defence Forces operations at home and overseas, as well as humanitarian and emergency response tasks," he said.
Research Ireland CEO Dr Diarmuid O’Brien said the teams being funded today have developed their solutions through close collaboration with Defence Forces personnel.
"The Sea-Scan team are developing a high-quality solution to a complex problem that will deliver a transformational capability for the Irish Defence Forces," Dr O'Brien said.
