Liquid Robotics® has become an Associate Member of the National Oceanography Centre’s (NOC) Marine Robotics Innovation Centre in Southampton, UK.

Kevin Forshaw, Associate Director, Innovation and Enterprise at the NOC said, “As the Liquid Robotics® Wave Glider® was invented to provide ocean researchers with reliable and persistent monitoring, we’re thrilled to welcome them to the Innovation Centre and to be working closely with them on the advancement of marine autonomy.”

The Wave Glider® is a vital part of the NOC’s autonomous fleet, and in September of this year three Wave Gliders® were deployed off the coast of North West Scotland as part of the NOC’s Exploring Ocean Fronts project. The vehicles experienced gusts of wind over 60mph and waves over 6.5 metres in height, but remained on course and continued to gather and communicate vital data for the duration of the mission.

Embedded Photo caption: Long Range AutoSub courtesy NOC.

“We are delighted to deepen our relationship with the NOC and establish our presence at the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre in the UK,” said Daniel J. Middleton, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Business Development, Liquid Robotics®. “We share NOC’s priority on the vital role our ocean plays in addressing the biggest challenges facing society and look forward to collaborating on sustainable marine robotics solutions.”

Thales Supports Marine Autonomous Systems at NOC

Thales will also be claiming space in the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC). Thales and the NOC are currently working together on the regulatory, environmental risk, policies and laws associated with Marine Autonomous Systems. 

Eddie Awang, Thales’s VP of the Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance business, and Defence Mission Systems in the UK, says “This is an exciting business partnership for Thales which will increase our engagement with the growing Marine Autonomy community and support our involvement in collaborative research and technology projects. Maritime Autonomy is vital in transforming the capability we can offer our customers." Adam Schink, Marine Robotics Innovation Centre Manager at the NOC said, “Thales is currently working with the NOC and many of the innovation centre partners on marine autonomous systems. We are particularly pleased to be partnered with Thales developing the next generation of marine robotic systems.”