ThayerMahan and Ocius announce collaboration and demo at AUVSI in San Diego

Groton, Connecticut-based maritime technology firm ThayerMahan, Inc. has signed a collaboration agreement with Sydney-based autonomous uncrewed vessel developer Ocius Technology Ltd. The partners will demonstrate a powerful new capability at the AUVSI XPONENTIAL event 23 to 25 April off San Diego, says ThayerMahan.

The collaboration places ThayerMahan’s Outpost system of acoustic sensors and digital signal processing aboard Ocius’ Bluebottle Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV).  It leverages ThayerMahan’s expertise in deploying sophisticated low-power acoustic sensors and advanced, AI-enabled acoustic processing with Ocius’ expertise in providing rugged, long-endurance autonomous vehicles that harvest wind, solar, and wave energy to drive a hull derived from Australia’s world-class sailboat racing designs.

ThayerMahan CEO Mike Connor stated, “The speed, maneuverability, and seakeeping characteristics of the Bluebottle USV will allow us to maximize the performance of our sensors.”

The Royal Australian Navy has already ordered five of Ocius’s Bluebottle USVs. Last October, at EX Autonomous Warrior, a Bluebottle was equipped with a neuromorphic processor for underwater sensing that had been developed by Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney. The Bluebottle is also currently being trialled by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).