Listen to this article

The Nauticus Aquanaut Mark 2 is the latest generation of autonomous underwater rover. | Credit: Nauticus

Nauticus Robotics, Inc. a developer of autonomous robots using artificial intelligence for data collection and intervention services for the ocean industries, announced the commencement of commissioning exercises of the first of three second-generation Aquanauts, dubbed the ‘Mark 2’ (MK2). Following commissioning, Nauticus expects to send the initial Aquanaut MK2 units to the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico in the coming months to support customer initiatives in those regions.

The Aquanaut MK2 is a fully electric, untethered and autonomous subsea robot that is controlled through acoustic communication networking and underpinned by Nauticus’ proprietary software suite, toolKITT. The artificial intelligence-based software suite allows for robotic controls, user interfaces, sensor integration, simulation, data analysis, and communication frameworks purpose-built to enable subsea work.

Aquanaut MK2’s defining capability is operating in two separate modes, actively transforming itself between the excursion and intervention configurations. Excursion mode involves the usage of data collection and perception sensors, while intervention mode utilizes two of Nauticus’ Olympic Arms – electric work-class manipulators – to perform precise yet powerful interactions with subsea infrastructure and objects to complete complex, underwater tasks.

“The delivery of our initial second-generation Aquanauts is a significant milestone that accelerates our mission to disrupt the offshore ocean services industry while setting a benchmark for next-generation subsea technology that will fundamentally revolutionize how the industry operates,” said Nicolaus Radford, founder and CEO of Nauticus. “Our autonomous ocean robots and proprietary AI software provide a compelling solution to the marine industry, validated on a recurring basis with the continued interest and robust growth of our commercial pipeline. This splashdown allows us to remain on track to deliver two additional Aquanauts by mid-year, which are already committed to fulfill customer demands, as we continue to execute on our commercial pipeline and expand the breadth of our world-class portfolio.”

Nauticus’ comprehensive service solution, leveraging artificial intelligence to perform a wide variety of autonomous underwater tasks, is sought by companies that desire to inspect and interact with the subsea environment at lower cost and increased safety while minimizing environmental impact. This AI-powered technology coupled with the company’s next generation subsea robots substantially improve the efficiency and safety, while reducing the carbon footprint, of offshore operations at significantly reduced costs over legacy methods.

Nauticus Robotics co-founder Nicolaus Radford will present a keynote presentation on Developing Robots for Final Frontiers.

Space is commonly referred to as the “final frontier.” But Nicolaus Radford and the team at Nauticus Robotics believe the world’s oceans are of the utmost near-term priority (and largely unexplored) final frontier. Founded by former NASA engineers, Nauticus is leading the way by developing novel ocean robotic platforms for unprecedented ways of working in and exploring the aquatic domain, while challenging the less-than-desirable and archaic paradigm of the legacy industry. The company’s vision is to become the most impactful ocean robotics company and to disrupt the current ocean services paradigm through the integration of autonomous robotic technologies. The deep sea is vast, full of potential, and yet remains largely as uncharted as space itself – and Nauticus is at the forefront of unlocking its possibilities.

This keynote will chart Radford’s journey from developing humanoid robotics for space and leveraging that experience to form Nauticus and its revolutionary ocean robotics portfolio. His work at NASA heavily influenced the advancements at Nauticus as the company develops robots capable of aiding in national security, repairing oil pipelines, and inspecting windfarms — all while significantly reducing emissions and hazards to human counterparts. During his keynote, Radford will provide insights about both environments, discuss the business and technology of Nauticus’ current work and explain his vision for the future of ocean technology and robotics.

Registration is now open for the summit.