ST. LOUIS, Dec. 7 (UPI) — Boeing will soon purchase autonomous maritime systems developer Liquid Robotics, expanding its seabed-to-space autonomous assets.
Neither company has revealed the terms of the deal, or how much Boeing will pay for the acquisition. Boeing officials say the move is beneficial for their customers.
“With Liquid Robotics’ innovative technology and Boeing’s leading intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions, we are helping our customers address maritime challenges in ways that make existing platforms smarter, missions safer and operations more efficient,” Boeing Defense, Space, & Security CEO Leanne Caret said in a press release.
Liquid Robotics’ products include the Wave Glider, an autonomous maritime platform with defense applications including vessel detection and avoidance, multi-vehicle fleet operations, and third-party navigation support.
The acquisition announcement follows an earlier agreement between the two companies in September 2014 to develop a variant of the platform called the Sensor Hosting Autonomous Remote Craft, or SHARC. The vessel aimed to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
“I am proud of our team, culture, and relentless commitment to designing the best ocean surface robot in the maritime industry,” Liquid Robotics president and CEO Gary Gysin said. “This acquisition allows us to leverage the strengths of one of the world’s leading global companies while continuing to push our innovation to new levels.”
