Innovative Amphibious Drone Advancement Funded by NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Governance (NOAA) has granted a Phase II award to Hydronalix in collaboration with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) to advance the creation of an amphibious drone capable of landing on water surfaces for sonar imaging tasks.
Progress from Phase I to Phase II
During the initial phase of the program, Hydronalix and TEES successfully designed and tested a prototype of the amphibious Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). This prototype demonstrated the ability to conduct complete 360-degree downward imaging as well as side-scan sonar imaging. The upcoming Phase II will focus on developing a production-ready prototype that can effectively perform sonar imaging of underwater structures, aiding in the identification of hazardous debris and automatic victim recognition in complex environments, among other emergency response functions. The system is set to enable near-real-time collaboration through cloud storage and mobile applications.
Objectives for the next Phase
Key objectives for Phase II include enhancing the drone’s aerodynamics and waterproofing features, integrating multifunctional capabilities that combine electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras, sonar, and weather sensors, and employing advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to optimize disaster response efforts. The ultimate goal is to create a UAS that can support maritime operations, assist emergency managers in disaster mitigation, and provide localized weather data.
Expert Insights on the Project
anthony Mulligan,CEO of Hydronalix,expressed enthusiasm about securing the Phase II grant in a competitive landscape,stating,“We are thrilled to advance to Phase II and look forward to integrating our established sonar sensor technology and related unmanned surface vehicle (USV) components into a versatile Unmanned amphibious System. This will empower frist responders to conduct searches both aerially and underwater using a single platform.”
TEES Professor Robin Murphy added, “I am excited to merge years of cutting-edge research in Artificial Intelligence and robotics for search and rescue into a cost-effective platform tailored for the disaster response community.”
