Robotic systems firm Sarcos and subsea robotic systems developer VideoRay have signed an agreement to offer integrated underwater robotic systems combining VideoRay remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) with the Sarcos Guardian Sea Class robotic system including its dexterous arms.
Sarcos and VideoRay will each be able to sell an integrated underwater robotic system and their respective products and provide replacement parts, repair services, and support.
“This collaboration is significant for the industry as it will enable Sarcos and VideoRay customers to easily purchase a pre-integrated system combining VideoRay’s best-in-class remotely operated vehicles with our advanced one- or two-armed Sea Class system,” said Kiva Allgood, president and CEO, Sarcos. “Through this relationship, we aim to make it easy for customers to acquire and deploy complete underwater systems and we look forward to continuing working closely with VideoRay moving forward.”
Sarcos Guardian Sea Class robotic system has a modular design that will easily integrate with VideoRay’s lineup of one-person portable ROVs. VideoRay systems can operate in currents up to four knots.
In August 2022, VideoRay announced that the U.S. Navy had standardized on the use of the VideoRay Defender system and had placed a large order of the remotely operated vehicles, due to its superior capabilities, flexibility and upgradability.
The Guardian Sea Class system can be operated with one or two six-degree-of-freedom arms and performs in depths of up to one kilometer (1,000 meters) for up to two hours at a time. It can be teleoperated or operated via supervised autonomy.
As the system is electronically driven, the Guardian Sea Class eliminates the added weight, size and expense of hydraulic power unit systems, lowers maintenance costs and reduces the risk of system downtime due to failure, Sarcos said.
“VideoRay has designed our remotely operated vehicles to perform critical jobs in the harshest environments,” said Chris Gibson, CEO, VideoRay. “Our ROVs are a natural fit with the Guardian Sea Class system and, when combined, we believe that the packaged solution offers the most advanced underwater inspection capability on the market today.”