About

Scrufy is a deep tech company, with the expressed objective of providing technology solutions, based on substantial engineering challenges for the decarbonization of the shipping industry.

Solution & Product

Main idea: Biofouling is a major problem for the ship owners, the environment and society. It introduces hydrodynamic drag increasing a vessel’s fuel consumption by as much as 40% according to the US Office of Naval Research and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions such as CO2 by 25% according to IMO's study “Impact of Ships’ Biofouling on GHG Emissions". Infrequent hull cleaning results to organisms development and subsequent need for hard cleaning methods which damage the hull's coating, a high-tech and expensive material. Regarding environmental protection and green shipping, guidelines from the IMO and local regulatory bodies are tightening up. Shipping companies are also obliged to minimize the transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS), to develop and maintain a ship energy efficiency management plan (SEEMP), minimize GHG emissions and reduce fuel consumption. Increasing labor costs, lack of workers and removal of humans from dangerous environments are additional driving forces towards the adoption of robotic solutions, such as Scrufy. Solution: Scrufy manages to address both impacts, economic and environmental at the same time. Scrufy helps ocean-going commercial vessels minimize their Carbon Intensity Index (CII) and maintain design performance specifications, by offering an energy saving device in the form of an autonomous underwater magnetic crawler for continuous automated preventive hull maintenance.

Innovation & Scalability

The primary innovation barrier addressed by Scrufy is the lack of fully autonomous robots capable of conducting hull grooming operations underwater. This absence of accurate localization technology in underwater conditions has resulted in the dependence on remote-operated robots, which necessitates human labor to oversee their operation, leading to extended cleaning periods of up to 12 hours per side of a bulk carrier. Consequently, this approach increases costs and ship downtime, posing significant challenges for the shipping industry. By seamlessly integrating multiple sensor technologies (IMU, depth and odometry sensors) into the Scrufy robotic system, precise underwater localization is achieved, empowering Scrufy to execute fully autonomous hull grooming operations. By addressing the localization barrier head-on, Scrufy emerges as a groundbreaking solution that not only revolutionizes hull performance but also contributes to sustainable and eco-friendly shipping practices. This breakthrough allows ship owners to adopt Scrufy confidently, harnessing its capabilities to combat biofouling, reduce hydrodynamic drag, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, while ensuring strict compliance with evolving environmental regulations.

Traction & achievements

To be updated soon

Team & Why Us

Scrufy CO has a highly skilled and experienced technical staff including 3 robotics and electrical engineers, 2 software engineers, 2 mechanical engineers, a technical owner and a project manager with a strong background in robotics, automation, and innovation. As a spin-off from its mother company, iΚnowΗow SA, Scrufy CO inherits the expertise gained from over 40 successful projects executed by its parent organization. All members of the company’s management and technical team have been working on the development of Scrufy for more than three years, gaining in-depth knowledge and expertise in every aspect of the solution. Their collective experience and dedication are key factors in driving the innovation and growth of Scrufy. In the Ingenious project, Scrufy CO will take on the responsibility of advancing the technical development of the solution, overseeing its journey from TRL7 to a TRL8 fully marketable product.

Funding Needs

To be updated soon