Ocean robot firm plans to dive deep into Brum

TECH COMPANY BOSS CONVINCED LANDLOCKED CITY IS THE BEST PLACE TO DEVELOP MACHINE

- STAFF REPORTER

BIRMINGHAM may be landlocked and more than a hundred miles from the sea, but one businessman is convinced it's the best place to develop an amphibious oceangoing robot.

Shahid Mughal runs Tyseley-based Innvotek, which develops robots to carry out maintenance tasks in challenging environments.

The company's latest invention, named Amphibian, is specifically designed to clean and inspect structures deep under the ocean, saving time, money, and reducing the need for potentially dangerous underwater work for human divers.

Equipped with powerful lights, high-definition cameras and hi-tech sensors that map corrosion and inspect joints, it also has high-powered water jets to blast off unwanted debris such as barnacles and algae.