Robotics Workforce Training, Offshore Energy Transformation

Abstract

Abstract There is an increasing demand for robotics systems in production, inspection, and maintenance in the energy industry from offshore to onshore, to reduce operating costs and lower the risk of exposing humans to hazardous environments. However, a gap exists between existing workforce expertise and technologies that are developing rapidly. The deployment of robots requires the engineer to have rich experience in production and sufficient understanding of the robotic multidisciplinary system so they can identify and deploy the robot in the use case that can maximize the robot's efficiency. The nature of robotics and automation presents a challenge to the workforce since the existing workforce's background, in specific engineering disciplines or business, hinders them from adapting and then keeping up with the transition to robotic (not normally manned) operations. Directed by the University of Houston, the Subsea Systems Institute (SSI) is developing, in collaboration with Sprint Robotics, the National Robotarium (UK) and the Society of Underwater Technology (SUT), a robotic training program. The objective is to upskill and reskill the energy industry personnel (offshore and onshore) to meet the emerging industry demand for multidisciplinary robotics expertise. This group is collaborating to fill the gap between required knowledge and application in the energy industry by identifying the necessary knowledge and skillsets, and then developing an adaptable modular program with use cases to train the existing workforce. The SSI led effort will adjust to the differing needs that drive the adoption of this evolving technology, including engineers and scientists and other stakeholders such as managers, influencers, and the public.