DEMO: Current Activities of the Working Group NUMAR at Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen
The NUMAR research group (Nautics and Maritime Robotics) of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen – University of Applied Sciences (THM) focuses on the development of boats and maritime robots, as well as their guidance, control and navigation. The common demonstration at BtS 2026 focusses on two main points: Firstly, building on the findings of the previous year, we have deepened our understanding of the hydrodynamic characteristics of our hull and have implemented several targeted modifications. One area of the hull has been redesigned to reduce the wetted surface area, addressing a problem that had previously limited performance. In addition, the angle of the transom plate has been increased, and the integration of a jack plate now provides significantly improved control over the direction and impact of the propeller thrust vector, enabling more precise parameter studies. Finally, our retrieval crane has been modified to reliably lift model boats out of the water, streamlining the testing workflow during demonstrations and experiments. Secondly, we present the results of a student project of undergraduate students in their second semester. The students were given a prototype of a low-cost surface robot and had the task to find and recover a second robot of the same type with lost manoeuvrability due to a simulated damage. The students had to decide which mechanical construct should be attached to the damaged vehicle to ease the recovery process. Furthermore, they had to develop a mechanical device for the rescuing robot as well as to realise a method for detection and to program the rescuing robot so that it can perform its task autonomously.