Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT) is working with Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Red Cat) to enable organizations using OPT’s PowerBuoy® and WAM-V® platforms to deploy Teal 2 drones.
Operating in any ocean depth over 20 meters and up to 3,000 meters (3 km), the ocean-deployed PowerBuoy floats over the point of use, moored. Through its Marine Advanced Robotics subsidiary, OPT offers the WAM-V — or Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel — an innovative class of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that uses an articulating suspension system to minimize structural loading.
OPT, an industry leader in innovative and cost-effective low-carbon marine power, data, and service solutions, assert that the PowerBuoy can act as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) which constantly recharges itself by harvesting energy from the waves.
The partnership will allow PowerBuoy and WAM-V users to deploy Teal 2 drones, a cost-effective, man-portable sUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) designed to “Dominate the Night™”.
The Teal 2 features cutting-edge night vision, multi-vehicle control support, and a fully modular design. It is both Blue UAS Certified and FAA Remote ID approved.
Teal Drones, a subsidiary of drone technology company and robotics integration provider Red Cat, builds the Teal 2 drone solutions designed to support U.S. and allied military operations, public safety organizations, and government agencies, at its South Salt Lake facility.
Red Cat state that its collaboration with Ocean Power Technologies and integration with OPT’s maritime domain awareness solution adds to its robust tactical ecosystem of partnerships with leading companies, providing leading solutions to clients for their tactical missions.
Other Red Cat hardware and software partners include Primordial Labs, Tomahawk Robotics, Athena AI, Teledyne FLIR, Reveal Technology, Immervision, and Doodle Labs, which enable capabilities such as computer vision, AI, and third-party apps.
George Matus, Red Cat’s Chief Technology Officer, stated; “Partnering with Ocean Power Technologies is a significant part of our strategy to address the needs and requirements of the Pentagon’s Replicator Initiative with drone and swarming capabilities across multiple domains, including maritime missions. We see significant opportunity for drones to extend ocean surveillance and situational awareness alongside autonomous surface vehicles to quickly move data across the air and sea while increasing the safety of reconnaissance teams and warfighters.”
Matt Burdyny, Chief Commercial Officer of Ocean Power Technologies, commented; “Our core mission is to provide advanced autonomy solutions for greater maritime situational awareness for a variety of science and technology applications, including defense and security missions.
“As technology plays an increasingly important role in naval shoreline and border protection, as well as potential battlefield scenarios, partnerships like this one with Red Cat are key to increasing mission range and endurance for existing manned and unmanned assets that are part of a larger defense network.”
