The University has been given a navy surplus autonomous surface vessel. She sat derelict in a warehouse in Eckenförde for several years before being rescued and brought to Rhine-Waal to begin a new career as a research and development tool for autonomous shipping applications. 

SpoyWiesel was a test platform developed by the German Navy. The short-term plan is to get her rebuilt and launched into the Spoy where she can start learning to navigate autonomously in a safe and familiar environment. Medium-term, she'll be out dodging tugs and barges on the Rhine. Long-term, we're looking to build a survey vessel that can find whales and dolphins in the North Sea. First things first, though. We need to get her rebuilt and back in the water. Who's with us?