The “Technology Awareness Event” showcased long-endurance, autonomous UUVs capable of delivering multiple payloads in communication-restricted areas.
BURNABY, BC, CANADA, -- Cellula Robotics Ltd. is pleased to announce the successful completion of a series of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) demonstrations in partnership with Metron Inc. These demonstrations showcased the capabilities of our ANCC+Solus solution to customers from Canadian, United States, and United Kingdom defence agencies, as well as the commercial offshore energy sector.
This Technology Awareness Event marks the beginning of a series of demonstrations throughout 2024, showcasing the next-generation UUVs developed by Metron and Cellula, who announced their strategic partnership in February 2024, around the same time Cellula’s CEO Neil Manning was announced.
The demonstrations represent a significant milestone in our strategic partnership with Metron. Together, we have leveraged our expertise in hardware, software, and fuel cells to deliver a fully integrated, scalable, and production-ready UUV solution capable of meeting complex mission requirements.
The in-water demonstrations featured two versions of the ANCC+Solus platform, highlighting its versatility and adaptability for various applications. This achievement marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide cutting-edge autonomous underwater technology to the global market.
ANCC+Solus is a cutting-edge, self-sufficient aerial platform designed for extended missions. Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, it offers unparalleled endurance and range. Equipped with a diverse array of sensors, including the NORBIT WINGHEAD™, it can gather critical data in even the most challenging conditions. Its versatile payload capacity allows for customization to meet specific mission requirements, making it ideal for operations in areas with limited or disrupted communication. With its exceptional capabilities, ANCC+Solus sets a new standard for long-duration, persistent aerial surveillance.
Technology Awareness Event offered a unique opportunity to showcase the groundbreaking advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, particularly within the ANCC +Solus portfolio. Cellula Robotics was thrilled to provide attendees with an in-depth look at our innovative hydrogen fuel cell technology and production capabilities.
The morning session commenced with a guided tour of our Burnaby, Canada facility, where visitors had the chance to witness firsthand the state-of-the-art manufacturing processes behind our hydrogen fuel cells. Our experts were on hand to explain the intricacies of this clean and efficient energy source, highlighting its potential to revolutionize the transportation industry.
Following the facility tour, attendees experienced a hands-on demonstration of our hydrogen fuel cell technology. This interactive experience allowed participants to gain a deeper understanding of the technology's capabilities and its role in enabling autonomous vehicles to operate with maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
In conjunction with our partners, Metron and NORBIT, we showcased the synergistic benefits of our integrated technologies. Our advanced hydrogen fuel cells, combined with Metron's Resilient Mission Autonomy and NORBIT's advanced sensor systems, create a powerful solution for autonomous vehicles that can navigate complex environments and perform critical missions with exceptional reliability.
The afternoon session was a spectacular showcase of aquatic capabilities. We conducted four missions off the coast of Vancouver, Canada, demonstrating the Solus-LR and Solus-XR's versatility and efficiency. Each mission highlighted key features tailored to our customer’s needs: seamless transit and deployment, real-time mission planning and adaptation, and advanced autonomous networking. The grand finale featured a mesmerizing synchronized swim between the two vehicles, showcasing their ability to collaborate seamlessly in multi-vehicle operations.
“Last week’s demonstrations showcased the power of collaboration and teamwork between Metron, Cellula, and NORBIT, as we advance the art of the possible in the undersea domain," stated Van Gurley, CEO of Metron Inc. “We are jointly delivering truly disruptive innovation in UUV capabilities, rapidly fielding solutions that can scale with our customer’s requirements. The in-water demonstrations highlighted the remarkable impact the ANCC+Solus UUV solutions deliver. These aren’t just design ideas, these are actual vehicles, in the water, proving our capabilities for full autonomy, ease of operations, and adaptative and precise mission planning for complex extended missions.”
Cellula’s Neil Manning stated: “The Technology Awareness Event gave us the opportunity to demonstrate not only our technology but also the strength of our partnership. Combining unique, long range autonomous underwater vehicles with the mission-based autonomy of Metron in front of key end-users showed the potential of what is achievable. Our ultra long-range AUVs enable operators to imagine mission profiles that were not feasible until now.”
Peter K. Eriksen, Business Unit Director, NORBIT Oceans commented “It is important to demonstrate both system performance and functionality, so with our sensor suite involving WINGHEAD™ Forward Looking and Bathymetric multibeam sonars, together with PingDSP 3DSS™ imaging 3D sidescan technology as well as INNOMAR Sub Bottom Profilers, the Technology Awareness Event provided a valuable market partner platform to highlight the capability and need for high resolution, clean and mission ready payload sensors on vehicles. We now look forward to extending our cooperation with Cellula together with Metron to provide the mission ready operational sensor delivery.
Cellula Robotics Ltd.
Cellula Robotics Ltd. is a proudly Canadian, privately owned, world-leading marine technology company focused on revolutionizing underwater survey and security through advanced, modular long endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems.
Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia with additional offices on the East Coast of Canada and the United States, Cellula employs over 80 dedicated professionals, including highly skilled engineers, designers, and technicians.
Driven by innovation and industry knowledge, we are committed to crafting sustainable solutions for the defence, offshore energy, and scientific sectors. Our hydrogen fuel cell-powered long range AUVs address evolving demands, propelling us towards a greener future.
Our unyielding commitment to quality is evident through our ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System that not only underscores our dedication to excellence but also reflects our ability to consistently surpass the expectations of our clients. www.cellula.com
About Metron Inc.
Metron Inc. is an award-winning, trusted provider of advanced research, scientific, and software solutions for government and commercial markets. The Company delivers a competitive edge for our customers in five key areas: analytics, autonomy, decision support, sensor processing, fusion, and custody. Our multi-domain expertise spans Bayesian inference, probabilistic modeling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, tracking and data fusion. Grounded in a first principled approach, Metron solutions transform information into intelligent action.
Founded in 1984, Metron is employee-owned and headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with U.S. locations in Portland, Denver, San Diego, and Honolulu. www.metsci.com
NORBIT Oceans
NORBIT Oceans delivers tailored technology solutions to the international maritime markets. The diversified customer base includes survey companies, research organizations, military, governmental institutions, dredging companies, rental companies, offshore construction clients, and marine contractors.
Through Oceans, NORBIT specializes in designing and developing a range of different sonars, including wideband multibeam sonars, 3D sidescan sonars; sub bottom profilers, and long-range surveillance sonars, for exploring the ocean space.
NORBIT bathymetric sonars are used for seabed mapping, construction support, inspection, and subsurface navigation with multiple other applications subsea. NORBIT is also a provider of security and monitoring solutions for detecting and monitoring activity at sea. Using forward looking sonars allows detection of threats below the surface and NORBIT technology can be used for obstacle avoidance on underwater vehicles such as AUVs; mine countermeasures and threat target detection and tracking of divers or other moving objects to critical infrastructure.
Additionally, monitoring solutions above the water surface are provided through an integrated offering, where NORBIT delivers sensors, control systems, and surveillance solutions, providing the customers with a single common operational picture for decision support and operational risk management. Furthermore, NORBIT also offers other technologies and products in some selected niches in the maritime domain. www.norbit.com