Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology request
- POD Reference
- TRBG20260811008
- Term of Validity
- 11 August 2026 - 11 August 2027
- Company's Country
- Bulgaria
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Investment agreement
- Targeted Countries
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Portugal
- Germany
- Finland
- Belgium
- France
- Denmark
- Italy
General information
- Short Summary
- A Bulgarian engineering and software company offers an inspection system merging aerial, surface and underwater survey data into one georeferenced model of structures crossing the waterline. Defects are measured in coordinates, so surveys become comparable over time, and it works in turbid water where cameras fail. Partners sought: owners of dams, reservoirs, tailings facilities and ports, and inspection companies, for a commercial agreement with technical assistance or research cooperation.
- Full Description
-
A Bulgarian deep-tech SME with long-standing expertise in geospatial technologies, surveying and infrastructure monitoring has developed a protected software-led autonomous air-water inspection and mapping technology.
The technology is designed to bridge the operational gap between above-water and underwater surveying by combining observations from both environments into a single georeferenced operational model.
Potential applications include dams and hydraulic structures, ports and harbour infrastructure, bridges, underwater pipelines and cables, coastal erosion and sediment monitoring, marine environmental monitoring, and underwater cultural heritage documentation.
The software architecture, data-processing environment and artificial intelligence perception layer have already been developed. The current stage focuses on integration with real underwater hardware and validation in operational missions.
The company is seeking European technology and industrial partners capable of providing, adapting or integrating an open and customisable underwater robotic platform. Relevant capabilities include payload capacity, onboard electrical power and thermal management for edge computing, access to vehicle telemetry and raw sensor data, documented software interfaces, and integration of customer-selected navigation, sonar, bathymetric and environmental sensors.
Cooperation may involve integration with an existing commercially available underwater vehicle, adaptation of a platform for customer-supplied onboard computing and sensing equipment, physical and electrical integration, prototype manufacturing, laboratory and field testing, pilot validation and preparation for commercial deployment.
The Bulgarian company retains ownership of its protected software, artificial intelligence, algorithms, system architecture and integration know-how. The expected partner contribution concerns complementary underwater hardware, manufacturing, physical integration, testing, validation and/or investment supporting market deployment. - Advantages and Innovations
-
The technology addresses the fragmentation that currently exists between aerial and underwater surveying and inspection, where different platforms, datasets and workflows are normally used on each side of the waterline.
Its main innovative aspect is the creation of one continuous georeferenced operational model combining above-water and underwater observations within a unified inspection and mapping workflow.
Main advantages include:
• integration of aerial and underwater information into one operational environment;
• support for infrastructure, coastal, environmental and cultural-heritage applications within the same technological framework;
• edge-based processing suitable for field operation without mandatory cloud connectivity;
• compatibility with different underwater platforms and sensing configurations;
• support for repeated surveys, monitoring and change detection over time;
• reduced fragmentation between separate inspection and mapping campaigns;
• potential to shorten the path from data acquisition to actionable spatial information.
Unlike solutions centred on a single carrier or sensor type, the technology is software-led and allows the physical underwater platform to be selected according to mission requirements, depth, payload, environment and operational constraints. - Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
-
The company is seeking partners with expertise in underwater robotics, autonomous or remotely operated underwater vehicles, marine electronics, subsea sensor integration, advanced manufacturing, mechanical and electrical integration, or field validation.
Depending on its capabilities, the partner may:
• provide a commercially available open and customisable underwater robotic platform;
• adapt an existing platform for customer-supplied onboard computing and sensors;
• provide sufficient electrical power, payload capacity and thermal management for edge computing;
• provide documented access to telemetry, navigation data, raw sensor data and vehicle interfaces;
• integrate customer-selected sonar, navigation, bathymetric or environmental sensors;
• perform physical, mechanical and electrical integration;
• manufacture prototype mechanical or pressure-resistant components;
• support laboratory, field and pilot validation;
• participate in preparation for commercial deployment;
• or provide strategic investment supporting hardware integration, validation and market entry.
The Bulgarian company will retain responsibility for its proprietary software, artificial intelligence, data-processing and system-level integration technology. - Stage of Development
- Under development
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Goal 14: Life Below Water
- IPR status
- IPR granted
- IPR notes
- The underlying technical solution is protected in Bulgaria by a registered utility model. Proprietary software, AI, algorithms, system architecture and integration know-how are retained by the company and disclosed only under appropriate confidentiality arrangements.
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
The company is seeking partners with expertise in underwater robotics, autonomous or remotely operated underwater vehicles, marine electronics, subsea sensor integration, advanced manufacturing, mechanical and electrical integration, or field validation.
Depending on its capabilities, the partner may:
• provide a commercially available open and customisable underwater robotic platform;
• adapt an existing platform for customer-supplied onboard computing and sensors;
• provide sufficient electrical power, payload capacity and thermal management for edge computing;
• provide documented access to telemetry, navigation data, raw sensor data and vehicle interfaces;
• integrate customer-selected sonar, navigation, bathymetric or environmental sensors;
• perform physical, mechanical and electrical integration;
• manufacture prototype mechanical or pressure-resistant components;
• support laboratory, field and pilot validation;
• participate in preparation for commercial deployment;
• or provide strategic investment supporting hardware integration, validation and market entry.
The Bulgarian company will retain responsibility for its proprietary software, artificial intelligence, data-processing and system-level integration technology. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME 50 - 249
- R&D Institution
- University
- Big company
- SME 11-49
- SME <=10
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Investment agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 01003012 - Imaging, Image Processing, Pattern Recognition
- 01003021 - Remote Control
- Market keywords
- 03007001 - Chromatographs and related laboratory equipment
- 03008004 - Other electronics related (including alarm systems)
- 03007002 - Other measuring devices
- 03007003 - Other analytical and scientific instrumentation
- Targeted countries
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Portugal
- Germany
- Finland
- Belgium
- France
- Denmark
- Italy