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Wazoku has delivered an innovation programme for China's National Innovation Centre par Excellence (NICE) that combined human review with AI-assisted evaluation and resulted in the selection and funding of a new maritime maintenance venture.
The winner, German innovator Christoph Bultemann, will establish a business in China's Yangtze River Delta around ClearSense, a ship shaft bearing clearance monitoring system. He will receive a USD $40,000 working fund and support from NICE, with the potential for up to USD $4 million in further funding as the project moves towards commercial rollout.
ClearSense addresses a long-standing challenge for shipping operators. Water-lubricated ship shaft bearings require inspections that are often labour-intensive and expensive, and many vessels still rely on manual checks by divers. Alternatives exist, but they can be bulky, difficult to retrofit, and costly to install.
The system uses sensors to measure bearing clearance and is designed for continuous, real-time monitoring. It is also intended to fit into the limited space between a ship's bearing and propeller, a common constraint on many vessels.
Bultemann has demonstrated a working prototype to Thordon Bearings, a Canadian supplier in the sector, which has expressed interest, according to information released about the programme's outcomes.
"This sensor is my 'innovation baby', and the NICE Challenge has given me the means to bring it to life," said Christoph Bultemann, founder of the project. "ClearSense can massively reduce maintenance costs, improve safety, and make continuous bearing monitoring available to vessels where it was never possible before. It's a hugely exciting opportunity for me to work on such a personal innovation, and to do so in such a dynamic part of the world."
Wireless transfer
During the programme, Bultemann also developed a related technology, Houdini, which uses wireless power and data transfer. It is intended to transmit energy and communications through a ship's steel hull without hull penetration. Hull penetration can create technical and regulatory issues for operators and complicate installation and approvals.
ClearSense is at an advanced prototype stage, while Houdini remains in early development and is described as TRL 3. Together, they are positioned as a route to a bearing-monitoring system that does not require routine maintenance and is suited to retrofit scenarios where access and space are limited.
Programme design
The work sits within the NICE Innovation Challenge, which seeks overseas innovators for projects in industrial engineering, maritime technology, and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on the Yangtze River Delta. NICE used the Innocentive open innovation platform as part of the scouting and selection process.
Wazoku designed and delivered the programme from problem definition and global scouting through evaluation, pitch selection, and development of a commercial pathway. The process used AI-assisted evaluation rather than AI-led invention, focusing on structured assessment against defined criteria, faster elimination of weaker submissions, and clearer decision-making for human stakeholders, according to information released about the programme.
NICE said the selection aligned with the challenge's objectives and highlighted the technologies' commercial prospects.
"This is exactly the type of innovation the NICE Challenge is designed to uncover," said a NICE spokesperson. "ClearSense and Houdini have enormous commercial potential, and Christoph's meticulous approach and technical creativity made him stand out at every stage."
Next steps
The venture will be established in China with support from NICE and the Marine Technology Institute in Nantong. Marine approvals are required even for testing, adding steps before deployment on operating vessels. The first commercial versions of ClearSense are expected within 12 months, with China likely to be the initial launch market.
Wazoku positioned the project as an example of innovative work that covers selection, assessment, and commercial follow-through, rather than focusing only on idea generation.
"This programme shows what happens when innovation is treated as an end-to-end system, not a one-off challenge," said Simon Hill, CEO of Wazoku. "From defining the problem, to evaluating solutions, to creating a real commercial partnership, this is about turning effort into actual outcomes, not just generating ideas."