Aquanaut Mark 2 Hits 2,300-Meter Milestone in Untethered Deepwater Test

• Aquanaut Mark 2 reached a depth of 2,300 meters during a test in the Gulf of Mexico.
• The dive gathered new data on how the vehicle and its systems perform at that depth.

Nauticus Robotics has completed a deepwater test of its Aquanaut Mark 2 vehicle, which traveled 2,300 meters below the surface without a tether. The test took place about 240 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana.

"I am pleased to report that our vehicle has reached unprecedented ultra deepwater depths without the need of a tether. Reaching this new depth is an exciting milestone, and we have obtained significant data on both Aquanaut and TooKITT from these tests – particularly regarding acoustic communication challenges in ultra deep water. Our Autonomous Solutions team will spend the necessary time to analyze the new data and apply this information to optimize performance for our ultra deep applications and across our portfolio," said Daniel Dehart, Nauticus' VP of Field Operations, in a press release.

Aquanaut Mark 2 is an autonomous, fully electric underwater robot built to scan the seabed, inspect pipelines, and detect leaks. It runs on Nauticus’ ToolKITT software and can operate without cables, reducing the need for support vessels and surface crews.

Engineers are now reviewing the test results, including data on how the vehicle handled deepwater communication. The company is continuing work on other systems built for similar environments.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

This is a major milestone for Nauticus as it works toward its goal of cutting costs for oil and gas customers by up to 40% using its autonomous, untethered systems.

Source: PR Newswire / Nauticus Robotics