Testing an Unmanned Hydrofoil Vessel at the Opentop Living Labs

Testing an Unmanned Hydrofoil Vessel at the Opentop Living Labs

The port of Valencia has hosted a pioneering test: the validation of the autonomous flight control system of an unmanned hydrofoil prototype, developed by Caponnetto Hueber -a company specialising in naval innovation- for a major international client. The test was made possible by the Opentop Living Labs at Valenciaport, the service that gives startups and tech companies access to real port infrastructure to validate their solutions under operational conditions.

What is a hydrofoil and why does it matter?

Hydrofoils are vessels that, rather than travelling across the water's surface, lift above it using submerged wings. By reducing contact with the water, they dramatically cut drag and, with it, energy consumption.

Combined with electric propulsion and autonomous navigation systems, they represent one of the most promising directions in sustainable maritime mobility: hydrodynamic efficiency, electrification, and automation in a single vehicle.

Controlling a hydrofoil, however, is no simple task. It requires a highly complex control system -comparable to an aircraft's autopilot- capable of managing variables in real time such as flight height, wave disturbances, and speed changes.

What was the goal of the tests in Valencia?

Caponnetto Hueber's challenge was to move from a virtual environment to the real world. In Valencia, the team verified critical parameters previously defined in simulation and fine-tuned the control algorithms under real navigation conditions, an essential step to reduce risk in the later industrialisation phases of the prototype.

The value of the Opentop Living Labs

This test is a good illustration of what the Opentop Living Labs offer: not just physical space, but a fully operational environment with all the variables of the real world. The three ports managed by the Valencia Port Authority — Valencia, Sagunto, and Gandía — are available for this type of validation.

Are you developing technology for the maritime-port sector and looking for a real-world environment to test it? The Opentop Living Labs could be your next step.

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