Next-gen autonomous subsea robot hits the water

Nauticus Robotics has kicked off a commissioning exercise of the first of three second-generation Aquanauts autonomous subsea robots, dubbed the Mark 2 (MK2).

Following commissioning, Nauticus plans 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 the regions.

According to the company, 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 is said to allow for robotic controls, user interfaces, sensor integration, simulation, data analysis, and communication frameworks purpose-built to enable subsea work.

Aquanaut MK2 can operate in two separate modes, transforming itself between the excursion and intervention configurations. Excursion mode involves the usage of data collection and perception sensors, while intervention mode uses two of Nauticus’ Olympic Arms electric work-class manipulators to perform interactions with subsea infrastructure and objects.

“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.

“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.”