Boeing is acquiring Liquid Robotics, developer of the Wave Glider autonomous ocean surface robot, strengthening pursuit of the Digital Ocean. The Digital Ocean concept seeks to bring extensive monitoring and surveillance capabilities to largely unobserved ocean spaces through use of unmanned vehicles and advanced sensors. Possibilities include a range of environmental, commercial, and defense missions that could be supported by AI, big data, and autonomous operation in a largely untapped sphere of operations.

The acquisition follows on from a successful teaming agreement begun in 2014, resulting in extensive integration of Boeing’s advanced sensors with the Sensor Hosting Autonomous Remote Craft (SHARC), a version of the Wave Glider. The SHARC is designed to connect intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities ranging from satellites to manned and unmanned aircraft to sub-surface craft. The Wave Glider is a wave and solar-powered autonomous ocean vehicle developed in 2007 and now with more than one million nautical miles traveled.

The 2014 agreement with Boeing focused initially on developing total integrated solutions for anti-submarine warfare, maritime domain awareness and other maritime defense applications. The agreement combined Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s experience developing and fielding multi-layered intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions with Liquid Robotics’ autonomous ocean technology.

At that time, Gary Gysin, President and CEO of Liquid Robotics said “We look forward to teaming with Boeing to expand domestic and international opportunities that combine Boeing’s expertise in aircraft systems and integrated defense solutions with Liquid Robotics’ expertise in persistent unmanned ocean vehicles. Together, Boeing and Liquid Robotics will provide customers an integrated, seafloor-to-space capability for long duration maritime defense.”

The Boeing acquisition is likely to further the Defense capabilities of the Liquid Robotics platform. While Liquid Robotics has other missions as an ocean drone manufacturer with a goal of instrumenting the ocean, its military applications, such as ability to detect submarines and other marine threats, have been highlighted recently and are likely to be driving the acquisition.

Just a few months ago Liquid Robotics and Boeing demonstrated their autonomous maritime warfare capabilities at the British Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior Demonstration, “Together, Liquid Robotics and Boeing achieved a groundbreaking milestone in unmanned maritime warfare,” said Gysin. “We proved that SHARCs can augment the tedious and dangerous task of continuous maritime surveillance by our war fighters and provide critical real-time intelligence to commanders.”