Dive Technologies and Virginia Tech Announce Partnership to Launch Novel Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Collaborative development leads to 2020 sea testing ahead of schedule

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dive Technologies, Inc., a Boston-based subsea robotics designer and manufacturer, today announced a formal partnership with the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics at Virginia Tech. This multi-year partnership will directly support the rapid development and test of Dive Technologies’ large, novel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The commercial product is on schedule for sea testing this Summer 2020.

“Leveraging the expertise of the Virginia Tech team has really pushed our AUV design forward in a uniquely innovative way and has created immense efficiency in our development schedule,” says Bill Lebo, Co-Founder and CTO of Dive Technologies. “Our collaboration with Virginia Tech has pushed our team creatively and demonstrates the exceptional value of academic partnerships.”

“Our collaboration with Dive Technologies is an exciting opportunity to transition state-of-the-art technology from the academic lab into next-generation commercial applications,” says Professor Dan Stilwell, Director of the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics. “Professor Stefano Brizzolara and his team of graduate students have helped Dive Technologies capture innovations in vehicle design that enable long endurance missions. Our team is also transitioning state-of-the-art control, software, and autonomy.”

About Dive Technologies: Founded in 2018, Dive Technologies designs, develops, and deploys premier Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) for large-scale commercial and defense data collection. Utilizing 50+ years of domain expertise, Dive Technologies is building a lowest-cost, fastest to the sea, and best-in-class large displacement AUV platform that combines purpose-driven technology with an intuitive, elegant exterior design and internal architecture to help clients rapidly and efficiently collect underwater data. For more information please visit www.divetechnologies.com.

About Virginia Tech: Since its founding as a land-grant college in 1872, Virginia Tech has grown to an enrollment of 36,000 and is a leading global research institution. The Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics at Virginia Tech is an interdisciplinary organization that spans multiple academic departments. The Center conducts research for a diverse set of government and commercial sponsors, and provides unique cross-disciplinary training for students and post-doctoral scholars. The Center’s research expertise encompasses novel vehicle design, fundamental advances in autonomy, and the practical art of deploying advanced vehicle systems in the field.