Greensea, creator of OPENSEA®, the open architecture robotics platform for the marine industry, has developed a new hull crawler that easily attaches a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to a ship hull without magnetics and allows the operator to “drive” the ROV and payloads over the hull. Initial hull crawlers are designed to work exclusively with the VideoRay Mission Specialist Defender ROV. The hull crawler represents a milestone in Greensea’s hull robotics program, which is advancing navigation and localization capabilities for a fully autonomous robotic hull inspection and proactive in-water cleaning solution.

“VideoRay is a valued Greensea partner with a dynamic and powerful ROV. We are pleased to be working with VideoRay to offer early models of our hull crawling technology. It’s a natural extension of the work we’ve done together to provide the miniature ROV industry with an easy-to-use, highly-capable robotic system,” said Ben Kinnaman, CEO of Greensea.

VideoRay and Greensea expect early adopters of the technology will use the Defender with the Greensea hull crawling attachment for hull inspection, surveying, non-destructive testing, and explosive ordnance disposal purposes.

“When VideoRay created our new Mission Specialist technology, we used a modular, open-architecture in order to allow the integration of our technology into a wide range of underwater tasks and missions,” explained Scott Bentley, CEO of VideoRay. “This is one of several examples where our tools are by far the best available to deliver payloads and tool kits designed to solve difficult underwater problems. Our close integration with Greensea means that each of us can provide the other with best-in-class capabilities, resulting in an extremely powerful and unique product.”

“The stability afforded by a crawler attached to a hull will enable inspection and intervention tasks with a degree of precision not possible with a small free-flying ROV,” said Karl Lander, Greensea Program Manager. “Providing a stable base platform for a camera, laser imaging scanner, or manipulator will greatly enhance accuracy, and ultimately safety, by enabling small robotic systems to perform work previously requiring a diver.”

In 2019, Greensea was awarded a Phase 2 R&D program through the U.S. Navy to develop a highly accurate navigation and autonomy solution for ship hull robots for the purposes of supporting autonomous proactive in-water cleaning. This program will utilize several of Greensea’s core navigation and autonomy technologies including their work with inertial navigation systems in ferrous environments and feature-based localization. The hull crawler technology will provide the delivery mechanism for the advanced software being developed in the Phase II program.

Interested parties should contact Greg Probst, Greensea Vice President of Sales and Business Development, or Chris Gibson, VideoRay Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Business Development, for more information about how to participate in Greensea’s hull robotics program or obtain additional information about the Defender ROV. Prototypes of the crawler technology for the Defender are available through Greensea and VideoRay. Early adopters will receive dedicated support and will be instrumental in providing feedback leading to final requirements and system design.

ABOUT GREENSEA SYSTEMS, INC.

Greensea is the creator of OPENSEA, an open architecture software platform, and is a world leader in navigation and autonomy technology for marine robotics. Greensea develops software and hardware that revolutionizes the working relationship between people and machines. They are known for innovative and powerful technology designed for in-the-field success by a team of industry-experienced engineers driven to help customers get their job done. Since opening in Richmond, Vermont in 2006, the company has successfully delivered more than 1000 OPENSEA-based systems to the manned and unmanned maritime industry. Greensea directly supports several military programs with products, training, and technology development, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal using miniature marine robotics, Special Operations Forces combat diving, and ship hull robotics. Greensea also provides OPENSEA software products and services to Original Equipment Manufacturers and leading developers and integrators throughout the marine industry. To learn more, visit www.greensea.com, email info@greensea.com, connect on LinkedIn, or call us at +1.802.434.6080.

ABOUT VIDEORAY LLC

VideoRay LLC is the global leader in inspection-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). VideoRay underwater robots help prevent terrorism, find and retrieve objects, inspect infrastructure both inland and offshore, and keep divers safe from hazardous conditions. VideoRay’sMission Specialist Technology is a customizable and flexible platform that uses a system of interchangeable, modular components. The philosophy behind the Mission Specialist approach is fitting each system to the exact sensors, tools, depth rating, and thrust needed for the job at hand, rather than retrofit accessories to a standard ROV. The Defender and Pro 5 models are equipped with Mission Specialist Technology. To learn more about VideoRay, visit www.videoray.com, or call +1-610-458-3000.

For further information contact:

Greensea
Dawn D’Angelillo, Marketing Manager
Greensea Systems, Inc.
Office: +1 802 434 6080
Email: publicrelations@greensea.com

VideoRay
Chris Gibson, Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Business Development
Office: +1 610 458 3004
Mobile: +1 610 517 5162
Email: chris.gibson@videoray.com