A Robotic Fish That Defends Our Homeland Against Deadly Attacks

Boston Engineering developed an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that the U.S. Navy and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use to detect weapons, explosives and drugs that enemy actors try to smuggle into the country through our ports, harbors and rivers. 

Boston Engineering created the AUV, from scratch, by:

• Reverse-engineering the tuna and incorporating its exceptional speed, maneuverability and efficiency into the AUV’s movements
• Developing disparate technology subsystems and integrating them into a single, reliable robotic system that is highly configurable
• Mission-testing the AUV to the exacting specs of the Navy and DHS

As a result, the Navy and DHS can:

• Explore hard-to-reach places like ship hulls and cavities in infrastructure (e.g., piers, rigging, bridges)
• Accomplish urgent missions swiftly and gather real-time intelligence
• Configure the AUV’s payload to carry equipment for a wide range of critical missions
• Save lives