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the systems for unique conditions and objectives. When your are 1000 miles off the coast of Australia the most efÞ cient way to do that was to augment their team. So can you summarize the support that Blue Þ n has provided? The support we provided during the search effort is in line with what you would expect from a manufacturer with a global ß eet of AUVs. The Þ rst thing was to provide some additional spare parts to support extended operations. Second, we provided advice on ways to operate the vehicle given the unknown bathymetry and conditions. Clearly this beneÞ tted the search when the bathymetry turned out to be incorrect and deeper than the systemÕs 4500 meter depth rating. So the ques- tion came back from Phoenix: Ôcan we extend the operating range?ÕWe analyzed the engineering data and we provided guidance to Phoenix and the Navy to the depth we thought that they could extend operations to at a reasonable risk and of being successful.Essentially the question was Òwe have a vehicle out there, there are depths beyond its depth rating, can we press it?Ó WeÕve gotten this same question on every vehicle we have ever built. We gave them guidance that they could run it down to 5000 meters, which they have done successfully. While we realize the mission to Þ nd MH370 is still in the beginning and to date rather short in duration, but can you give us any ?lessons learned? or walkaways at this point? We are pleased with the performance of the vehicle to date; we have a single vehicle out there running back-to-back missions. There are some things that we see can be evolved given this type of mission, but overall IÕm pretty happy with the production of that vehicle. AUV Market As the AUV market has matured and grown, so has Blue Þ n Robotics - A Battelle Company. Today the company employs nearly 200, and has moved into a state-of-the-art facility. BlueÞ n Robotics ? A Battelle Company 22 MTRMay 2014MTR #4 (18-33).indd 22MTR #4 (18-33).indd 225/12/2014 10:47:30 AM5/12/2014 10:47:30 AM