Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics will use wall-climbing robots, drones and sensors to scan and monitor Navy warships for structural issues. (Gecko Robotics)
A U.S. company has secured a contract worth up to $71 million to use robotics and artificial intelligence to support Navy ship maintenance, as the service continues to invest in advanced technologies.
The Navy and the General Services Administration awarded the contract to Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics, which will use wall-climbing robots, drones and sensors to scan and monitor warships for structural issues, the company said in a news release Wednesday.
The contract calls for work over five years on 18 vessels in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, including guided-missile destroyers and littoral combat ships.
Gecko said its technology uses AI to create detailed digital models and identify structural issues, including those not visible to the naked eye.
“The previous way of doing this is putting a ship into dry dock, building scaffolding all around the ships and then gathering information, you know, point by point; gathering very little information,” company cofounder Jake Loosararian told CNBC on Tuesday. “We gather millions more information and data sets, and we do so in about three to four months, faster than has ever been done before.”
The company did not respond to a request for additional comment.
Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics will use artificial intelligence to create detailed digital models and identify structural issues in Navy warships, including those not visible to the naked eye. (Gecko Robotics)
The contract reflects the service’s broader push to incorporate robotics and AI into shipbuilding and maintenance.
In December, Navy Secretary John Phelan announced a $448 million investment in the Shipbuilding Operations System, an initiative that uses AI to aggregate data, streamline engineering and identify delays early in the construction process.
Initial tests showed that planning submarine construction schedules was reduced from 160 hours of manual work to less than 10 minutes, the Navy said in a Dec. 9 news release.
Other countries are investing heavily in similar technologies. In South Korea, companies including Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai are expanding the use of robotics and AI in shipbuilding. HD Hyundai plans to deploy about 200 robots in its shipyards, according to a January report by The Chosun Daily.
Japan is also expected to announce a $100 million investment in AI technology, some of which could support U.S. shipbuilding efforts, Maritime Executive reported Tuesday.
The Navy has set a goal of having 80% of its ships ready for deployment, a benchmark it is still working to achieve, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said in January.
The Gecko contract is structured as an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity agreement, meaning the Navy is not required to spend the full amount. Other military services and federal agencies may also use the contract, according to the announcement.
