Hydronalix USVS Offer Simple, Affordable Solutions

Tony Mulligan started his small company in 2002. Thanks to investments from the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, Advanced Ceramic Research (ACR) developed unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), such as the Silver Fox, that were eventually deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of Mulligan’s SBIR successes was the Coyote UAV, which could be launched from the ground or dropped from aircraft out of sonobuoy tubes. Some of the aircraft systems and technologies developed at ACR are still flying with the Air Force and NOAA.

That small business was sold to a prime, and the founder, Tony Mulligan, had a non-compete agreement that kept him out of UAVs. So, Mulligan started another company that focused on unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Through the SBIR process of “extend derive and complete,” a number of the technologies that started out when Mulligan ran ACR continued to evolve and transition into work he was performing with his new company, Hydronalix, based in Sahuarita, Ariz.

When the Navy retired the Silver Fox system and brought the equipment back from the Middle East, there was an inventory of about 200 aircraft. The equipment was completely operable, and with the sensors, ground control stations, spares, and everything needed to operate them, the Navy and Hydronalix decided to experiment with unmanned surface vehicles using the Silver Fox components. That formed the genesis of a series of new SBIR efforts that has transitioned to a product line of USVs developed by Hydronalix.

EMILY TO THE RESCUE

Eventually, the Hydronalix USVs transitioned to support expeditionary EOD divers and Marines, serve as gateway buoys to connect underwater systems to above-water networks, and even penetrate hurricanes to report data back to NOAA. That technology became the very successful EMILY series of boats used for rescue, surveying and reconnaissance around the world.

The small water-jet-powered Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, known as EMILY, is used for lifesaving and can reach people in distress faster than a swimmer or someone on a surfboard. The brightly colored remote-controlled boats weigh just 25 pounds and can travel at up to 22 miles per hour. They also can carry a two-way radio, camera and lights for night missions. The EMILY can be thrown in the water, tossed off a boat or bridge, or dropped out of an airplane. The device has a tether option so a swimmer in distress can grab it and be pulled to safety.

“We have 72 miles of coastline, and some of the most famous beaches in the world,” said LACFD Lifeguard Chief Fernando Boiteux, “but we also have rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. We rescue people in distress, and if something or someone is missing in a body of water, our technical rescue team will find it and recover it.”

SONAR EMILY

According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Chief Fernando Boiteux, LACFD received a grant to evaluate the first two EMILY systems in 2012, and conducted the testing at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, to see what the capabilities were.

“Since that initial evaluation we created a technical rescue team, and they are trained to use robotic system, including our Sonar EMILY unit, to assist us in search and rescue missions, and work in conjunction with other teams. We have both Rescue EMILY and Sonar EMILY available 24/7/365 to respond to incidents along the full 72 miles of the L.A. County coastline, as well as inland SAR responses, to look for missing swimmers or objects in water.”

A higher-powered Swiftwater EMILY version, which is better suited for rougher water, is also available.

According to Mulligan, more than 50 domestic fire departments use EMILY, including New York City, Austin, Houston, and Norfolk, Va. The company also has clients in 33 foreign countries and has operated or supported missions in more than 50 countries.

Sonar EMILY version is equipped with the Johnson Outdoor Humminbird sonar and comes with the postprocessing SARHAWK software. The Sonar EMILY is used to conduct bottom surveys, find underwater objects and inspect bridge foundations. Combined with additional sensors, this platform is also ideal for port security, providing persistent surveillance around piers and ships.

Both the Rescue and Sonar EMILY are about 4 feet long. The sonar variant has a sonar unit that can measure water depths and produce side-scan and down-scan images of bridge substructures and streambeds, as well as an optional topside camera to view the underside of bridges. The Michigan Department of Transportation has four Sonar EMILY units to inspect bridging footings for scouring after heavy rain and snow melt. One of their contractors, Great Lakes Engineering, has one, too.

RECONNAISSANCE DATA

Casey Collings, an engineer and diver with GLEG, said Sonar EMILY provides valuable intelligence before the divers enter the water, especially when the water visibility is low.

“We want to get some reconnaissance of what is down there before we actually get in the water. We don’t want to go in blind. If we’re going into murky water with zero visibility, EMILY helps us understand what we should be seeing. With Emily, we can make out exactly what’s down there. We may still have to dive, but now we know what we’re getting into. We save a lot of time. More importantly, it’s really important for diver safety,” says Collings.

Hydronalix CEO Mulligan said his company is working to make transportation departments in other states aware of the success that Michigan is having. Most recently, the Montana Department of Transportation has procured Sonar EMILY.

“Sonar EMILY can be used to create sonar maps of the sea floor or look for bodies or missing objects,” said Mulligan. “We used Sonar EMILY in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian severely damaged Great Abaco Island, and closed Marsh Harbor, to ensure a safe channel to enable ships to navigate into ports to deliver relief supplies.”

The Hydronalix water sampling robotic vessel can be used for a wide range of environmental and scientific purposes, from detecting “black water” dumps by large ocean-going ships off the coasts of Europe to potentially measuring the amounts of plastic microfibers in the oceans and our water supply.

With support from the Office of Naval Research, EMILY is being upsized to a 65” and 75” Autonomous Mobile Buoy for military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform equipped with tracking cameras, radar, weather station, and sonar imaging.

Mulligan said Hydronalix has several exciting near-term opportunities for expanding into new markets with its growing line of robotic unmanned surface vessels. And Hydronalix is growing. When Mulligan started his new company in 2010, he had a one-person team, and one Phase I SBIR. Today, Hydronalix has 28 employees. “The SBIR investments help us generate new technologies that create more growth on the commercial side.”

This story was featured in ON&T's March 2021 issue. Click here to read the full article.