By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – Gecko Robotics has landed a $71 million contract to deploy wall-climbing robots and artificial intelligence across U.S. Navy ships in the Pacific Fleet, the Pittsburgh-based company said, in what executives described as a first-of-its-kind maintenance contract awarded to a robotics firm.
Gecko’s robots climb hulls, crawl through ballast tanks and fly through confined spaces, collecting structural and material data that feeds the company’s AI-powered software platform, called Cantilever.
The system can identify repairs up to 50 times faster and more accurately than manual inspections, according to the privately-held company. In one documented case, a single robotic evaluation of a flight deck eliminated more than three months of potential maintenance delays, the company said.
The deal represents a significant scaling of robotic technology.
Gecko currently operates a fleet of roughly 250 robots across both commercial and government customers, and plans to build 50 to 60 more this year.
The five-year indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, awarded through the U.S. Navy and General Services Administration, will see Gecko begin work on 18 ships across the Pacific Fleet, with an initial award worth up to $54 million. Destroyers, amphibious warships and littoral combat ships are among the vessels included in the program.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; editing by David Gaffen)
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
Iran’s internet blackout silences voices at home as diaspora creators fill the void
Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
US House transport committee head wants to collect EV fees for highway repairs