Undersea search robots in Japan

Credit: Seabotix SARbot

Kyodo News reports that undersea robots fail to locate any bodies during search in Pacific coastal waters off northeastern Japan in five days of operations. The undersea robots, equipped with sonar and camera devices, were used to conduct searches in waters where it is dangerous for divers in response to requests from the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture and the city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, said Satoshi Tadokoro, who heads the International Rescue System Institute.

The robots, one made in Japan and the other in the United States, were able to find a sunken car and checked to see whether there were any bodies inside.

iRobot acquires Durham underwater robot technology firm

Leading robotics company iRobot has acquired Nekton Research, a developer of unmanned underwater robot technology. “We believe that the underwater market is the next frontier for robots” said Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman of iRobot, in a statement. “This acquisition positions us for leadership in robot solutions on both the land and sea.” Nekton customers include several U.S. military clients – the Office of Naval Research, Naval Undersea Warfare Command, naval Air Systems Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.