Ocean data startup Spoondrift and underwater drone developer OpenROV have announced that they have merged to form Sofar Ocean Technologies.
Sofar brings together two teams who have experience developing and scaling tools for distributed ocean sensing and monitoring, as the newly formed company notes that the world's oceans remain “largely unexplored, misunderstood, and tragically under-utilized.”
Maritime
Maritime
L3 Technologies and Sonardyne equip AUVs with 6G capability
L3 Technologies has announced that its commercial autonomous vessel product range will be equipped with 6G capability, thanks to a collaboration with Sonardyne International Ltd.
L3 says that its C-Stat 2 and C-Cat 3 autonomous vessels will be equipped with Sonardyne’s 6G range of Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) tracking and communications systems.
According to L3, these distinctive platforms and sensor combinations have shown themselves capable of delivering optimized options for data gathering and subsea positioning tasks during inshore and offshore operational scenarios.
Kraken Robotic Systems to deliver ThunderFish 300 AUV to Canadian government
The government of Canada has awarded Kraken Robotic Systems Inc. a $1 million contract for the company’s ThunderFish 300 autonomous underwater vehicle.
Kraken’s ThunderFish 300 AUV, which was initially pre-qualified in April 2018 under the Canadian government’s Build in Canada Innovation Program, is expected to be delivered to Kraken's test partner, Defense Research and Development Canada, in Halifax in the second quarter of 2019.
Sea Machines Robotics opens new advanced technology center in Boston
Sea Machines Robotics has opened a new advanced technology center in Boston that will be used to accelerate product development and accommodate the company’s growing team.
Located adjacent to Sea Machine’s headquarters and vessel testing sites in East Boston’s shipyard, the fully renovated workspace provides a collaborative, open working environment, as well as expansive conference and meeting areas. The technology center is also near local restaurants, Logan International Airport and Boston’s public transit system.
Airbus' Skyways drone demonstrates capabilities during shore-to-ship trials in Singapore
Airbus has announced that it has started shore-to-ship trials in Singapore using its Skyways parcel delivery drone.
According to Airbus, this is the first time that UAS technology has been utilized in real port conditions to deliver small, time-critical maritime essentials to working vessels at anchorage.
“We are thrilled to launch the first trial of its kind in the maritime world,” says Airbus’ Skyways lead, Leo Jeoh.
“Today’s accomplishment is a culmination of months of intense preparation by our dedicated team, and the strong collaboration with our partner, as we pursue a new terrain in the maritime industry.”
RSE launches unmanned undersea robot designed to control population of invasive lionfish
A non-profit called Robots in Service of the Environment (RSE) has unveiled the RSE Guardian LF1, Mark 3 prototype, which RSE describes as an affordable unmanned undersea robot designed to control the population of invasive lionfish in the Western Atlantic.
According to RSE, the robot accelerates the capture of lionfish at the critical action breeding depth below safe diver depth.
“The Lionfish are destroying the coral reef and decimating fish populations in the Atlantic. The latest innovations incorporated into the RSE Guardian LF1, enable the undersea robotic solution to go deeper, fish longer and pull in a larger haul,” explains Colin Angle, co-founder and executive chairman of RSE.
AP uses Sonardyne's tech to stream first live broadcast to global audiences from an underwater submersible
Sonardyne International Ltd. has announced that the Associated Press used its BlueComm wireless through-water optical modem technology to stream the first live broadcast to global audiences from an underwater submersible.
Coming from a two-person submersible operating in waters off the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, the live broadcast via YouTube was “the first multi-camera live signal in full broadcast quality from manned submersibles using optical video transmission techniques, in which the pictures transmit through the waves using the electromagnetic spectrum,” according to the AP.
GA-EMS successfully demonstrates Aluminum Power System powering ROV
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has announced that it successfully completed the first end-to-end demonstration of its Aluminum Power System (ALPS) on an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) during a demonstration at a GA-EMS test tank facility in San Diego.
During the demonstration, a submerged ALPS provided hydrogen and oxygen to a Teledyne Energy Systems fuel cell, which provided electrical power to propel the ROV.
