Page 42: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2021)

USV TECHNOLOGY

SIMPLE USV OFFERS

MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS

Hydronalix keeps ? nding new uses for

Unmanned Surface Vessel Technology

Hydronalix/Released

By Edward Lundquist pelled robot that’s designed to assist lifeguards in the event someone is drowning or in distress has become the basis for a number of other versions and capabilities, from gateway com-

EMILY may be a small unmanned surface vessel (USV), but she’s munications buoys, covert surveillance platforms, mine hunt- a big idea that keeps getting bigger. ers and infrastructure inspection systems.

EMILY is the Emergency Integrated Life-saving Lanyard, “About 18 years ago I worked on STTRs and SBIRs with a made Hydronalix of Sahuarita, Ariz. It is a rugged, light- small company, Advanced Ceramic Research (ACR), which weight ? otation device for up to six people that can also bring made unmanned aircraft that were used in Iraq and Afghani- them back to shore and safety. The remotely-controlled USV stan,” said Tony Brescia, a systems engineer with the Naval can be rapidly deployed from the shore, off a bridge, or from a Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, Md. boat or aircraft to help people in danger of drowning. “Some of the aircraft systems and technologies we developed

EMILY was launched by Hydronalix CEO Tony Mulligan together are still ? ying with the Air Force and NOAA.” and Executive VP Bob Lautrup with a series of Navy spon- That small business was sold to a prime, and founder Mulligan, sored Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) investments had a non-compete agreement that kept him out of UAVs. But, starting as far back as 2001. Mulligan has continued to develop Brescia said, the good ideas developed through the SBIR/STTR and extend the company’s technology and its EMILY product program have continued to evolve into more and better ideas.

line to provide multiple solutions to a wider array of problems. Mulligan started another company that focused on unmanned

The concept of a compact, battery-powered, water-jet pro- surface vehicles. Through the SBIR process of “extend derive 42 July/August 2021

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