Page 64: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2011)

64MTRJuly/August2011 THE MARINE TECHNOLOGY REPORTER 100Bluefin Robotics develops, builds, and operatesAutonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), subsea batteries, and related technologies for defense, commercial, and scientific applica- tions. The company was founded in 1997 by engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AUV Laboratory, and in 2005 became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Battelle. Today, the company offers a full range of modu-lar, free-flooded AUV platforms. Using a core set of building blocks, Bluefin has designed over 50 different configurations. This includes over 70 different sensors on over 80 AUVs. Bluefin strives to be a full AUV lifecycle provider? by offering research and development, technolo- gy integration, full-scale manufactur-ing, platform training, and operationssupport. The company is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts in a 55,000- square-foot facility housing three floors of engineering, manufacturing,marine operations, and corporateadministrative functions. With ample space for its equipment and direct ocean access, Bluefin is able to design, build and test its systems in a singlelocation. Technology Profile: Bluefin Robotics continuously advances the state of AUV technology through internal R&D funding as well as through sev- eral development contracts. Bluefin is redesigning the HAUV in response to a $30 million contract modificationto exercise option III of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Hull Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Localization Systems (HULS) production systems. In addition, a new variant of the HAUV (HAUV-N) is being designed to include a manipulator arm. The HAUV-N will provide a robotic ship hull mine and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) identification and neu- tralization capability for use in Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal. With regard to the other Bluefin platforms, the company now owns a Bluefin-21 with a survey sensor suite and a Bluefin-9 with sonar. Both are available for demonstrations. The Bluefin-12 is now available with a synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and a line release nose designed for easier recovery. This spring, Bluefin and MIT suc- cessfully demonstrated the Bluefin-9 running MOOS, the open-source backseat driver tool used to develop autonomy behaviors. Other AUV platforms are also on Bluefins horizon. The company recently won a subcontract from Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems to provide the mobility subsystem for the acoustic device countermeasure (ADC) MK 5 and is working with The Columbia Group and Battelle to develop Proteus, a large diameter Dual-Mode Underwater Vehicle that can be manned or run fully autonomously. Lastly, Bluefin is engaged in several battery projects focusing on using its standard 1.5 kWh subsea batteries as well as new, custom designs. Bluefin: AUV RedefinedBluefin Robotics Corporation553 South Street Quincy, MA 02169 Tel: (617) 715-7000 Email: info@ bluefinrobotics.com www.bluefinrobotics.com President/CEO: David P. Kelly Marketing Director/Sales Manager: Michael C. Donovan Engineering Director: Louis Quartararo FacilityBluefins headquarters is a 55,000 square-foot facility in Quincy, Massachusetts with direct ocean access. The newly-renovated building houses all engineering, manufac- turing, marine operations, and administrative functions. Testing Capabilities Three saltwater test tanks, pressure chamber, machine shop, 58-foot workboat, RHIB for shallow-water and case-boat support, knuckle-boom crane rated for 1-ton at 10- meter.