Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan by Guo Qian

Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan by Guo Qian is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Beusi in Kapal Pesiar Competition Category.

BeusiKapal Pesiar· 2026

Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan

by Guo Qian

Client: Southern Marine Science And Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)

A' Design Award Beusi Winner in Kapal Pesiar Category

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Verified Award Winner

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The Design

About Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan

SymBio Explorer nyaéta kapal panalungtikan otonom anu dirancang pikeun ékspédisi ilmiah kutub. Ieu kapal miboga fungsi salaku kapal induk pikeun sistem drone udara, permukaan, jeung jero cai, sarta bisa dioperasikeun sacara jarak jauh. Kurva organik anu nyambung terus manjang ti hareup nepi ka tukang kapal, méré wangun biomorfik ka badan kapal tanpa juru anu kaku. Alat-alat gawé saperti derek A-frame diserep sacara visual kana badan kapal supaya garis wangunna tetep ngahiji. Dék beulah kénca (port) ngarojong palesatan drone, sedengkeun beulah katuhu (starboard) dipaké pikeun pamulihan. Panjang kapal ieu 88,5 méter jeung lébarna 14 méter, sarta ngagunakeun sistem propulsi listrik sagemblengna.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Beusi

Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan mangrupa juara A' Design Award Beusi, pangakuan anu bergengsi anu dipasihkeun ka desain alus anu minuhan sarat profésional jeung industri anu diharepkeun tina kréasi anu dirarancang alus. Para juara Beusi nunjukkeun kaahlian anu hébat, spésialisasi anu luhur, pamahaman ahli jeung kamampuh kréatif para kréatorna. Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan diharepkeun jadi kréasi anu dihargaan, dikagumi jeung dipikanyaah anu praktis jeung inovatif. Desain juara A' Design Award Beusi ieu ngalebetkeun prakték pangalusna industri sarta ngabogaan ciri téknis anu mampuh pakait jeung pangweruh praktis jeung bakat. Symbio Explorer Kapal Panalungtikan dihormat pikeun katelitianana sarta dirarancang pikeun méré paningkatan kualitas hirup anu mantuan ngajadikeun dunya tempat nu leuwih hadé.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Conventional research vessels follow engineering logic with industrial forms. This design challenges the fixed opinion by conceiving mothership as an entirely new species, a futuristic artificial-marine organism", a mysterious intelligent entity. It is neither a cold exploration instruments nor a larger whale, but a new aesthetics object, which emphasize a new ethics of species interaction, ecological balance and sustainable coexistence. It can achieve polar scientific expedition. The Design enhance visual ruggedness and embody the spirit of exploration.
Dimensions & Packaging: Designed Displacement 2100 tons; Length 88.5 meters; Width 14.0 meters; Depth 6.1 meters; Maximum speed 18 knots; Economic speed 13 knots; Fully Electric Propulsion ；Autonomous Navigation and Remote Control;
Tags: i-ship , Symbiosis, Biology, artificial-marine organism, Intelligence
Production Technology: The design employs continuous organic curves throughout form and detail. From bow to stern, from bridge to drone deck, the fluidity of these curves achieves formal closure while integrating functional requirements into a unified biomorphic envelope. This approach eliminates fragmented lines and rigid orthogonal geometries typical of modernist industrial design. Through the comprehensive application of form, material, and color, operational equipment such as A-frame hoists are visually absorbed into the hull, reducing their perceptual prominence and reinforcing the continuity of the overall silhouette.
Design Challenge: The overall spatial layout is the key to ship design. Engineers are mainly responsible for organizing functional relationships and improving the efficiency of equipment and pipeline layout and placement. Designers consider the skeletal proportions and overall appearance of the appearance, as well as the humanized content such as the behavior and experience, perception and comfort of scientists and crew members. The challenge of the project lies in the communication, collaboration, debate, and compromise between designers and engineers.
Research: The form research by two steps, named "reverse engineering". Firstly, polyurethane foam and oil sludge are used as materials, and the model is manually made at a scale of 1:100. Then, the solid model is taken as the object, and key point sets are collected by laser, and then imported into the 3D software (Rhino 7.0 version) for parametric design modification.
Inspiration: SymBio Explorer imagines the research vessel as a new species, proposes an "artificial-marine organism" between machine and living creature. The biomorphic silhouette externalizes its identity as an intelligent unmanned system mothership. Merging "Symbiosis" and "Biology," it embodies a new ecological ethics: the ocean is not a resource to exploit, but an entity coexisting with humanity.
Project Duration: The project started in June 2024 in Guangzhou and finished in May 2025 in Beijing.
Operation Flow: The SymBio Explorer is an autonomous, remotely-operable research vessel serving as a coordinated mothership for aerial, surface, and underwater drone systems. Certified with i-ship (No, R1, M, I) intelligent notation, it achieves autonomous navigation in open waters, assisted berthing, remote monitoring, equipment diagnostics, and predictive analysis. The port deck serves as UAV launch platform while starboard accommodates recovery; stern-mounted systems deploy surface craft and submersibles.
Image Credits: Image #1: Modeling and Rendering, Mothership, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #2: Modeling and Rendering, silhouette, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #3: Modeling and Rendering, iceberg, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #4: Modeling and Rendering, 45 degree, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #5: Modeling and Rendering, close up, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;