The 10th Symposium on High Performance Marine Vehicles was held in Cortona this October, on the theme “Technologies for Ships of the Future”. Dr. Weymouth represented the University of Southampton and the Fluid Structure Interaction group, giving an invited review on biologically-inspired methods for marine propulsion and maneuvering. There were quite a few interesting talks on biologically-inspired technologies as well; from shark skin and dolphin blubber inspired coatings to squid and flagella inspired underwater vehicles. The proceedings can be found via www.hiper-conf.info
Marine and maritime universities from around the world were in attendance and gave presentations, including academics from the United States (U. Michigan, Florida IT), the UK (Strathclyde, Newcastle, UCL), Europe (NTNU, TU Delft, TUMM, NTUA) and many others. There were also many research and industry groups, from Dell to the US and UK Naval research labs. There were many talks on automation and drag reduction, and the major theme seemed to be increasing maritime vessel efficiency in design, construction, and operation.
Overall the symposium was a great opportunity to renew connections from around the world and any trip to Cortona is a chance to take in the scenery, drink some wine, and even brush up on your pasta making.