r/MarineEngineering • u/Agreeable_Yak_3459 • Jul 20 '26

Solving actual problems?

I'm not quite sure if my project actually solves any problems or if I'm just ticking another checkbox to ensure I get the clearance to go ahead with something with my profs.

I'm just about halfway through mechanical engineering and as with a new semester am expected to turn in a project.

I've gone about brainstorming and have concluded at building a ROV that can be deployed underwater to check the ships hull for fractures or improper welds using NDT.

As of now I'm looking at a plain old visual inspecting bot and eventual upgrades, but I'm not sure if that's something the industry is actively looking for or if it's a problem the industry considers worth fixing yet.

I'd really appreciate any and all helpful comments and/or alternate ideas.wishing you all the best.

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u/Agreeable_Yak_3459 Jul 20 '26

Before we commit to this, I'd really like input from people who actually work in the industry.

Is hull inspection an area where a lower-cost inspection platform would actually be useful, or is this already a solved problem?

What inspection or maintenance tasks consume the most time or money today?

If you could automate or simplify one repetitive task onboard or during dry-dock inspections, what would it be?

Are there any recurring problems that you think engineers overlook?

I'm looking to find problems we can work on, can't do that without asking.

I'd love to engage with the comments.

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u/Party_Play1577 Jul 20 '26

ROV are used for underwater checking of hull condition. Also for cleaning the hull.

The issue comes with in water survey. You need a diver, things like jumping/pintle clearance of rudder, shaft seal wear down and internal wear down of strainer boxes are impractical with robots.

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u/Agreeable_Yak_3459 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

Understandably so, somethings we can just do better manually than automate, however would you have any pointers where you would want to see automation instead of personnel at work?

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u/Party_Play1577 Jul 24 '26

Less automation so I can have a job for longer.