Dive Technologies successfully trials LD-AUV powered by Kraken’s pressure tolerant batteries

October 29, 2020 | AUVSI News

Dive Technologies recently completed successful sea trials of a Large Displacement Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (LD-AUV) powered by Kraken Robotics’ pressure tolerant batteries. Kraken expects further contracts with Dive for additional batteries in 2020 and beyond.

“We are excited that the Dive Technologies’ sea trials were successful and we look forward to working with them as a long term customer for Kraken’s batteries and sonar technology but also as a strategic partner that will enable us both to expand our businesses,” says Karl Kenny, Kraken president & CEO.

Through an agreement the companies entered into in Aug. 2020, Kraken agreed to supply subsea batteries for the LD-AUV. Under the terms of the agreement, Kraken also acquired a license to build two Dive LD-AUVs for use in Kraken’s growing Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) business.

The first Dive LD-AUV is currently in production, with the first unit being manufactured in the United States. Kraken expects the LD-AUV to be delivered to its Unmanned Maritime Vehicle Facility in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for sea trials in the spring of 2021.

“Our team is incredibly excited to be working with Kraken Robotics. We have always been impressed by the battery and sonar technology coming out of Kraken,” says Jerry Sgobbo, Dive president & CEO.

“It is clear to us that they are an industry leader with a reliable track record, technical pedigree, and overall product capabilities that further Dive’s value proposition to customers worldwide.”

Kraken and Dive plan to leverage each other’s expertise to bring industry leading AUV technologies to the subsea data acquisition market. Dive’s focus is on delivering capable, flexible and reliable large displacement AUVs to defense and commercial customers at a reasonable price with leading commercial-off-the-shelf technology from companies such as Kraken. Meanwhile, Kraken says that it gains access to a large diameter, long mission duration AUV for use in Kraken’s emerging RaaS business.

The companies note that the DIVE LD-AUV is significantly different from Kraken’s ThunderFish XL (TFXL) AUV, which is being internally developed by Kraken. TFXL is a rectangular, hovering AUV being developed for subsea resident applications, while the Dive LD-AUV is geared towards long range, long endurance survey missions.