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A state-of-the-art underwater survey robot will be demonstrated for the first time this month as part of a £2.4million research and development project being led by a Bristol-based technology company.

Rovco, on Bond Street, is leading the Autonomous Aquatic Inspection and Intervention project (A212), which is being financed by Innovate º£½ÇÊÓƵ through the Industrial Strategy Research Fund.

Engineering firm Forth – another company involved in A212 – will demonstrate the autonomous underwater system for nuclear inspection at its headquarters at Maryport, Cumbria.

The aim of the demonstration is to show how the technology can be used for offshore coring and wet nuclear storage pond surveys and interactions.

Forth has incorporated sonar technology with the robot’s system to detect and avoid obstacles underwater so it can be used near “critical infrastructure”.

It has also developed an enabling technology that provides launch and recovery, recharging and high-bandwidth communications for the remotely operated vehicle.

Peter Routledge, Forth’s programme manager, said: “Underwater robots are increasingly utilised for commercial and scientific applications to make measurements and interact with underwater assets and the environment.

“The project’s goal is to develop underwater autonomous vehicles that can improve safety and reduce the challenges of operating in hazardous environments.”