Aquabotix, which is a U.S. manufacturer of commercial-grade UUVs and underwater cameras for commercial and military applications, has introduced the Integra AUV/ROV, the company’s second-generation hybrid underwater vehicle.
Designed for use across several sectors, the Integra AUV/ROV has a variety of features, including Live Remote Control and data sharing, five pounds of payload capability, and up to eight hours of battery life, just to name a few.
Thanks to these features, users can conduct multiple underwater missions using the Integra AUV/ROV, while providing a “cost-efficient alternative to deploying separate AUVs and ROVs for individualized tasks.”
Maritime
Maritime
SeeByte awarded Naval Sea Systems Command contract to support MK18 UUV Family of Systems
After being awarded a Naval Sea Systems Command contract worth $22.59M over five years, SeeByte will provide engineering, technical support, and training services for the MK18 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Family of Systems (FoS).
Thanks to the award, the government will be able to easily execute task orders with SeeByte “for the provision of various supplies and services,” including upgrades to the SeeTrack Common Operator Interface for Navy (COIN) EOD software modules, purchasing autonomy software (SeeByte’s Neptune autonomy engine) licenses for MK18 UUVs, and developing Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) modules, just to name a few things.
GEBCO-NF Alumni Team completes Technology Readiness Tests of its AUV-USV concept
On Nov. 23, the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team completed Technology Readiness Tests of its AUV-USV concept and “associated combination of communications hardware and software” to process and transmit data remotely.
One of 19 semi-finalist teams competing in the $7 Million Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition, the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team received support from KONGSBERG experts and technology during the test event, which was held on the fjord outside KONGSBERG's factory in Horten, Norway.
US Navy deploys UUVs to help in search for Argentine navy's submarine
Following a request for international assistance to locate the Argentine navy's missing submarine, the A.R.A. San Juan, and its crew, the U.S. Navy has deployed one Bluefin 12D (Deep) UUV and three Iver 580 UUVs to assist in the search, which is taking place in South Atlantic waters.
The UUVs are operated by the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1 (UUVRON), which was established back in September, and is based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Capable of deploying quickly, the UUVs use a system called Side Scan Sonar, which is used to “efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor,” to search wide areas of the ocean.
University of Washington, Columbia University to use AUVs to study Antarctica's ice shelves
Researchers from the University of Washington (UW) and Columbia University are preparing to study Antarctica’s ice shelves from the ocean below, using battery-powered Seaglider AUVs.
According to GeekWire, the results of the study are expected to provide a better understanding of how ice retreats, and how climate change could “affect the loss of polar ice sheets and the resulting rise in sea levels.”
This study, which is being funded by billionaire philanthropist Paul Allen, could go a long way in proving that the devices from UW’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) are capable of doing this type of work.
Kraken Robotic Systems partners with Avitas Systems to advance robotic subsea inspection technologies
During General Electric’s (GE) Mind + Machines event in San Francisco, California, it was announced that Kraken Robotics Inc.’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., entered a strategic partnership with Avitas Systems, which is a GE Venture that advances the inspection services industry across various sectors through predictive data analytics, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Through the partnership, the two companies will integrate AUVs, acoustic and laser sensor technology and AI-based navigation software into unique subsea inspection systems for several industries, including oil and gas, offshore renewable energy, and shipping.
University of Mississippi and General Atomics collaborating on UUV technology
The University of Mississippi (UM) and General Atomics are starting an “on-campus collaborative effort” that will focus on acoustic sensing and navigation technologies for UUVs, in an effort to help Department of Defense operations in deep-sea areas.
Starting on Nov. 1, GA Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) will work out of UM’s research facility, Insight Park, and GA-EMS will look to fortify the relationship established with UM and its National Center for Physical Acoustics, so that it can advance the investigation of “acoustic-based techniques for navigation and control of unmanned underwater systems.”
Lockheed Martin to design U.S. Navy's XLUUV Orca
Under a design phase contract valued at $43.2 million, Lockheed Martin will design the U.S. Navy’s Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) known as Orca, in an effort to “support the growth of the U.S. Navy’s family of unmanned undersea systems.”
Including the currently awarded design phase, XLUUV Orca is a two-phase competition, as it also includes a “competitive production phase for up to nine vehicles,” to meet the growing need for undersea operational awareness and payload delivery.
Israel's first AUV to be commercialized through new BGR company
In Israel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (BGU) technology company, BGN Technologies Ltd., has announced the launch of a new entity called BGR. BGR will commercialize Israel's first AUV, the HydroCamel II.
Developed by researchers at BGU's Laboratory for Autonomous Robotics (LAR), the 2.5 meter-long AUV is built for commercial use across a variety of industries, including the military, security, and oil and gas sectors.
It can also be used for environmental applications and marine research, as well.
Special AUVSI San Diego - Royal Navy Event: Marine Autonomy - Building Capability through UK / US Collaboration
Join us at Coleman University for an evening of networking, panel discussion on building maritime capability through international collaboration, and an opportunity to meet some of the UK’s government’s marine autonomy subject matter experts, and researchers from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre.