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Houston Mechatronics unveils underwater transforming robot ‘Aquanaut’

Houston Mechatronics (HMI) unveiled Aquanaut at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, one year after the announcement of the platform concept.

Aquanaut is a revolutionary multi-mode transforming all-electric undersea vehicle. The vehicle is capable of efficient long-distance transit and data collection in ‘AUV’ (autonomous underwater vehicle) mode.

After transforming into ‘ROV’ (remotely operated vehicle) mode the head of the vehicle pitches up, the hull separates, and two arms are activated so that Aquanaut may manipulate its environment.

Aquanaut is now undergoing an extensive validation and maturation process and will be exposed to increasingly dynamic conditions before being deployed in Q4 2019/Q1 2020.

“This has been a whirlwind of a year,” said Nic Radford, CTO of HMI.

“Our team has delivered in every respect. Aquanaut was remarkably functional upon final assembly. So much so that we started demonstrating the system to potential customers just one week after final assembly.”

Matt Ondler, CEO of Houston Mechatronics, said: “This test would not have taken place without the heroic efforts of the engineering team at HMI.

“We are extremely proud of the work we have done thus far, and I look forward to continuing our rapid and pragmatic pace of development with this exceptional vehicle.”