Sydney-based robotics company Aquabotix has received an order from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab for an underwater drone that will be used in the agency’s Ocean Worlds exploration program.
The drone, which is capable of travelling at depths up to 300 metres, will be used to create multidimensional maps of a variety of oceanic environments to help NASA, among other things, determine the best-known candidates for life in the solar system.
Aquabotix’s CEO, Durval Tavares said that whilst limited in economic sense, the order illustrates the company’s position as a technology leader, with the most configurable digital platform in its class, suitable for most discerning customers.
“We are proud of being able to provide NASA’s JPL with a vehicle that is fully configurable to their needs,” Mr Tavares stated, saying the remotely operated vehicle will be integrated with a range of specialist sensors for the purposes of the mission.
“Our team is working to integrate specialist sensors fit for purpose, which is made possible due to Aquabotix’s digital architecture.”
Aquabotix, which received the order via its wholly-owned US subsidiary Aquabotix Technology Corporation, is currently in a number of sales processes involving a wide range of end users.
