MBARI partners with Saab to license LRAUV technology
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has announced a new commercial licensing agreement with Saab, Inc. to make its long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LRAUV) technology available for the first time to a global market. The LRAUV is an innovative robot that can explore, map, and monitor the ocean for weeks at a time, covering distances of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). The LRAUV will be sold by Saab as the Tethys, a versatile platform for ocean exploration and research.
MBARI engineers have invested a decade in research and development for the LRAUV, testing it extensively at sea with various scientific payloads. The LRAUV can collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples, plankton images, acoustic data, and more. It has also demonstrated remarkable capabilities such as sampling the genetic fingerprints of marine life, monitoring harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes, and detecting and mapping oil spills.
MBARI Senior Mechanical Engineer Brett Hobson, who leads the LRAUV Team, said: “MBARI is one of the few places where a team of engineers and scientists can work together, for more than 10 years, to develop a completely new ocean robot from the ground up. We’re thrilled to now have help from Saab, Inc. to manufacture this unique platform for our peers in ocean science and adapt it for many new applications.”
LRAUV technology enables scalable ocean observation
The ocean is critical to life on Earth, but faces a fragile future and a rising tide of threats. Monitoring ocean health is increasingly urgent, but logistically challenging. Scientists need nimble research tools that can scale their observations of the ocean and its inhabitants. Autonomous robots are essential to the future of marine science, engineering, and exploration.
The LRAUV is an innovative, field-ready autonomous robot that can be launched from a ship or from shore. It has an ultra-low power transit mode that enables shore-based operations with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). The MBARI team developed this technology as a scalable solution to ocean-based data collection.
MBARI Engineering Division Chair Andrew Hamilton said: “MBARI engineering is working hard to create capabilities for autonomous and extended monitoring and exploration of the ocean. Partnering with Saab, Inc., MBARI’s unique technology for studying the ocean will be widely available to our peers, allowing the global scientific community to scale efforts to understand our changing ocean.”
Saab Tethys offers a flexible platform for diverse applications
Saab, Inc. is a leading provider of underwater systems and solutions for defense, security, and marine markets. Saab will manufacture and sell the LRAUV under the name Tethys, offering a flexible platform that can be customized for diverse applications and missions.
Saab Seaeye President Jon Robertson said: “We are excited to partner with MBARI to bring this cutting-edge technology to the market. The Tethys is a game-changer for ocean observation and exploration, offering unprecedented endurance, versatility, and performance. We look forward to working with our customers to tailor the Tethys to their specific needs and challenges.”
The Tethys will be available for purchase in 2024. Interested customers can contact Saab Seaeye for more information.
