Nauticus has contracted with FAU to perform Aquanaut Mark 2 vehicle development testing in the protected waters near the university’s Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering Dania Beach facilities as well as in the deeper waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This partnership is expected to result in approximately 90% savings on vehicle development testing. This phase of testing requires both shallow and deeper waters to fully test functionality while maintaining real-time communication via tether for instant feedback. It also provides the opportunity to carry out tetherless missions that simulate operations the Aquanaut vehicle is designed to accomplish. Without this partnership, testing in mid-range water depths would require the use of more expensive ocean-going vessels.
“Working at FAU this summer has provided a perfect platform to efficiently test the Aquanaut vehicle in both protected waters for product development and open waters for data collection and sea trials. The location and campus at FAU has allowed us to expedite the Aquanaut system technology in preparation for commercial use,” stated Daniel Dehart, Nauticus Robotics’ Vice President of Field Operations.
Nauticus plans to continue testing Aquanaut vehicles in conjunction with FAU. The Aquanaut vehicle, currently undergoing its final testing, will move to the Gulf of Mexico later this month to begin commercial operations. Once ready, the second Aquanaut vehicle is planned to take its place at FAU to continue the development of the next round of capabilities.
The Aquanaut vehicle leverages Nauticus’ proprietary ToolKITT software, a versatile and platform-independent solution previously tested across various subsea vehicle classes. By harnessing the power of ToolKITT and the pioneering design of Aquanaut, Nauticus is spearheading the industry’s shift from traditional tethered operations to augmented autonomy. This initiative aims to fully transform subsea operations into autonomous, highly efficient processes.
