BGN Technologies, the technology company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), has launched BGR to commercialize HydroCamel II, Israel’s first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
The AUV was developed by researchers at BGU’s Laboratory for Autonomous Robotics (LAR).
The new company and technology will be introduced at the NexTech Conference 2017 in Be’er Sheva.
BGR will introduce the 2.5 meters long AUV for commercial use in the military, security, oil and gas sectors, as well as environmental applications and marine research.
“ The HydroCamel II AUV integrates state-of-the-art technologies including high-level maneuvering in six degrees of freedom and an ability to dive almost vertically,” said Prof. Hugo Guterman of BGU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and head of the LAR. “Until now, these capabilities were limited to remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), which must be tethered by umbilical cable to a host ship at all times, while the HydroCamel II is completely autonomous.”
Furthermore, the company has named Tzvika Goldner as the CEO of the new entity, which will be headquartered in Beer-Sheva at the Advanced Technologies Park adjacent to the University.
Tzvika Goldner said: “BGR will be offering HydroCamel II at a competitive price compared to other underwater vehicles in the same category. This gives us a distinct advantage in the market.
“We believe HydroCamel II will expand the AUV customer base and enable us to deploy AUVs in new areas.”