iRobot has announced a sole licensing agreement with UW TechTransfer at the University of Washington, to commercialise Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Seaglider technology previously supported by the Office of Naval Research and National Science Foundation.

Seagliders help civilian, academic and military personnel make oceanographic measurements at a fraction of the cost of traditional research vessels or moored instruments. These long-range, high-endurance vehicles economise on energy consumption with a buoyancy-based propulsion system to support mission ranges of thousands of kilometers and deployments lasting up to several months. Instruments can be attached to the Seaglider to continuously collect organic physical properties across a range of depths and areas, providing insights to oceanographers and military planners.

Commenting on the agreement, Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman, iRobot, said: “We have a strong track record for transferring new technology from research initiatives into products that support military missions.

“Ten years ago we transformed the original PackBot into a combat-proven robot used today by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and licensing the Seaglider from the University of Washington will help our robots conquer new underwater frontiers.”