Aquabotix Swims into Another Navy Contract
Sydney, Australia and Fall River, Massachusetts-based UUV Aquabotix Ltd. reported on January 2 that it had been awarded a $70,000 contract to support a U.S. Navy project. The project will involve further developments to Aquabotix’s SwarmDiver surface robots. The initial development project will conclude with testing and demonstration to various U.S. Navy personnel, a company official said.
Whitney Million, Aquabotix’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “This is a second project involving SwarmDiver and the U.S. Navy, in the last seven months. SwarmDiver can be used broadly, in numerous mission types. This development contract will provide greater flexibility in the systems’ use while maintaining the benefits of conducting an unmanned mission. Aquabotix is excited to once again be afforded the opportunity to support the Navy while expanding its own capabilities. We look forward to demonstrating this transformative technology advancement.”
In October, the company received approval for an explosives license from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, known as the ATF. The explosives license allows the unmanned aquatic vehicle company to develop, manufacture, store and sell unmanned vehicles with explosive capabilities.
In June, the Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport entered into a special purpose Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Aquabotix to examine the possibilities of the micro aquatic robot.
