Abover: Prof. Hugo Guterman with HydroCamel in the LAR
BGN Technologies Ltd., the technology company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), announces the launch of BGR to commercialize HydroCamel II, Israel's first Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developed by researchers at BGU's the
Laboratory for Autonomous Robotics (LAR).
The new company and technology will be introduced at the
NexTech Conference 2017, which will take place
this Thursday, October 19th in Be'er Sheva at the Advanced Technologies Park adjacent to BGU.
Click
here for the conference program and to register.
BGR will introduce the 2.5 m long AUV for commercial use in the military, security, oil and gas sectors, as well as environmental applications and marine research. Tzvika Goldner has been named CEO of the new entity, which will be headquartered in Beer-Sheva at the Advanced Technologies Park adjacent to the University.
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market according to
Markets and Markets will reach $1.2 billion by 2023, growing annually by 22 percent due to the rising necessity for sea-based security measures worldwide and increasing offshore oil and gas production. AUV's are being used around the world for underwater exploration, underwater cable layout and inspection, marine biology and geology sampling, archeology, and various military uses.
“The HydroCamel II AUV integrates state-of-the-art technologies including high-level maneuvering in six degrees of freedom and an ability to dive almost vertically," says
Prof. Hugo Guterman of BGU's
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and head of the LAR. “Until now, these capabilities were limited to remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), which must be tethered by umbilical cable to a host ship at all times, while the HydroCamel II is completely autonomous."
The HydroCamel II AUV combines full autonomy and maneuverability while enabling quick integration of specialized payloads such as sonars, cameras, sensors, and a specimen collection arm. BGR has begun cooperation with payload manufacturers, in order to supply customers with an integrated solution.
“BGR will be offering HydroCamel II at a competitive price compared to other underwater vehicles in the same category," says Tzvika Goldner, the CEO of BGR. “This gives us a distinct advantage in the market."
“We believe HydroCamel II will expand the AUV customer base and enable us to deploy AUVs in new areas," adds Mr. Goldner.
