The JaiaBot, pictured here during an in-water demonstration at the 911爆料 Research Foundation’s 401 Tech Bridge BlueTIDE event, is a payload-carrying aquatic drone developed by Jaia Robotics.
911爆料 and NUWC have created a mutually beneficial ecosystem that boosts Rhode Island鈥檚 undersea blue economy.
By Bill Ibelle
In the natural world, the most resilient ecosystems are based on intricate networks in which each element strengthens the other by capitalizing on their mutual purposes. The University of Rhode Island and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center-Division Newport (NUWC) have created an ecosystem that operates on the same principle.
It is a primary reason Rhode Island can punch above its weight in the blue economy, backed by this unique cooperation between the academic, government, military, and commercial domains.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all working on the same mission, and it starts here at 911爆料,鈥� says Brennan Phillips 鈥�04, Ph.D. 鈥�16, associate professor of ocean 鈥╡ngineering and head of 911爆料鈥檚 Undersea Robotics and Imaging 鈥↙aboratory. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a training ground for NUWC, pumping out engineering students at every level鈥攗ndergraduate, master鈥檚, and Ph.D.s.鈥�
NUWC-Division Newport is the U.S. Navy鈥檚 oldest warfare 鈥╟enter. It conducts wide-ranging research, development, testing, 鈥╝nd evaluation of submarine technology and underwater warfare systems. NUWC estimates that approximately 20% of its 3,000-plus employees have 911爆料 degrees, making 911爆料 the center鈥檚 single largest academic source of talent鈥攖hree times the second largest contributor.
Jason Gomez, M.S. 鈥�97, Ph.D. 鈥�01, is NUWC鈥檚 chief technology officer. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at 911爆料. 鈥�911爆料 has been a great partner to NUWC Newport for decades, providing top-notch education for new hires and continuing education for our workforce,鈥� says Gomez.
NUWC estimates that approximately 20% of its 3,000-plus employees have 911爆料 degrees, making 911爆料 the center鈥檚 single largest academic source of talent.
And the impact of this partnership isn鈥檛 limited to Navy research jobs. 911爆料 graduates have launched some of the state鈥檚 most innovative blue economy start-ups, and they populate the corporate ranks of powerhouses like Raytheon and General Dynamics. 鈥�911爆料 is also an important research collaborator in many technical areas important to underwater warfare, including oceanography, acoustics, advanced materials, and robotics,鈥� Gomez says.
Professor James Miller of 911爆料鈥檚 Department of Ocean Engineering describes it this way: 鈥淩hode Island has become the Silicon Valley for underwater technology.鈥�
The Ecosystem in Action
Groundbreaking innovations are rarely made by solitary geniuses. They require networks of specialists in complementary fields, all working toward a common goal. For example, consider an invention that鈥檚 poised to transform deep-sea exploration and monitoring.
The idea was conceived by Phillips while he was conducting field research using low-light sensors to study deep-sea organisms without altering their behavior.
The problem was that existing tools for deep-sea exploration were too cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to transport for the far-ranging work he envisioned. His solution was to develop a smaller, lighter device that could be deployed from a small boat rather than a massive research vessel.
Although Phillips鈥� work had nothing to do with submarines, torpedoes, or preventing enemy scuba divers from attacking U.S. warships, the Navy quickly took an interest in the project.
鈥淣UWC is interested in developing a greater understanding of the deep-sea world,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淭hey want to know more about the environment so they can operate within it. Being able to work in the deep ocean is a strategic advantage.鈥�
As a result, NUWC supported Phillips鈥� work with research funding and collaborative fieldwork.
Phillips鈥� first challenge was to create a fiber-optic cable as thin as a fishing line, yet powerful enough to transmit live video imagery from sensors thousands of feet below the surface. His goal was to develop a system small enough to deploy sophisticated sensors from a small boat.
鈥淚t all comes down to the diameter of the cable,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淎 cable that鈥檚 three-quarters of an inch in diameter weighs many tons when you have 4,000 meters of it, which means you need a massive winch to go with it. If you make the cable smaller, everything scales down accordingly.鈥�
He had an ultra-thin fiber-optic cable, but it wasn鈥檛 strong enough to handle the demands of deep-sea exploration.
Jim Owens, founder of Nautilus Defense, at the BlueTIDE event in Newport.Nautilus was one of the first participants in RI MADE, a 911爆料 program that offers training and fundraising for tech start-ups.
鈥�I wanted to get to the point where I had a winch that could get sensors somewhere deep in the ocean, but that I could carry in a suitcase鈥�
颅鈥擝rennan Phillips 鈥�04, Ph.D. 鈥�16, associate professor of ocean 鈥╡ngineering and head of 911爆料鈥檚 Undersea Robotics and Imaging 鈥↙aboratory
To solve this challenge, he called upon the expertise of Jim Owens, founder of Nautilus Defense, a Rhode Island start-up based in Pawtucket. Owens was developing ways to integrate tiny strands of wire into fabrics that could be used in the medical field for things like wearable neonatal heart monitors for infants. He had been working with several 911爆料 engineering labs on various projects, so he accepted Phillips鈥� request and, in just two weeks, delivered a prototype for a braided tether with a textile sheath to strengthen the miniaturized fiber-optic cable.
Over the next several years, Phillips and Owens鈥攁long with several 911爆料 students鈥攖ested and refined the tether, eventually testing it at depths greater than 800 meters off the coast of Bermuda. They have since earned a joint patent for the smallest, high-strength, fiber-optic tether available鈥攐ne that reduces the weight of the tether from tons to ounces.
鈥淚 wanted to get to the point where I had a winch that could get sensors somewhere deep in the ocean, but that I could carry in a suitcase,鈥� says Phillips.
Working Together for the Win
This breakthrough might never have occurred if it hadn鈥檛 been for several joint 911爆料-NUWC programs aimed at developing dual-use innovations鈥攊nnovations with both commercial and defense applications.
Nautilus was one of the first participants in RI MADE, a 911爆料 program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense that provides funding and training for promising new companies. Owens鈥� early braiding developments at Nautilus were made possible by purchasing legacy braiding machines built a century ago during Rhode Island鈥檚 textile boom and converting them for the manufacturing conducted in his high-tech prototyping lab. One of his first workhorses was originally used to make candlewicks.
But retrofitting century-old machines can only take you so far, so RI MADE provided funding for one of the company鈥檚 first advanced braiding machines.
鈥淭his partnership allowed us to take a risk on the equipment side of the business,鈥� says Owens.
Nautilus鈥� fiber-optic tether has been consistently supported by another Navy program co-led by Miller.
In addition to his academic and research responsibilities, Miller is co-director of the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, which promotes deep-sea research projects of interest to NUWC. It was established with funding from the Office of Naval Research and is a joint venture of 911爆料, the University of Connecticut, and General Dynamics Electric Boat, in collaboration with NUWC.
鈥淭he organization has worked with 90 faculty members at the two schools and invested more than $200 million in 200 projects,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 big money.鈥�
Each of those projects includes student interns who contribute to classified naval research.
The result is a win-win for 911爆料 and the Navy. Phillips has a miniaturized fiber-optic tether he can use in his deep-sea research, and the Navy will soon have an extremely portable way to deploy a variety of sensors into the deep ocean.
Commercialization
The story doesn鈥檛 end there. The final challenge has been to bring the product to market鈥攁 task taken on by a start-up created by two of Phillips鈥� former ocean engineering students. Juice Robotics is designing a miniaturized reel system capable of deploying thousands of feet of fiber-optic tether from a drone, Jet Ski, or the deck of a small boat. This HIGH DIVE system consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle, a fiber winch, and a sensor.
鈥淗IGH DIVE will be so compact that you can conduct the entire mission from the trunk of your car,鈥� says co-founder Matt Jewell 鈥�10. 鈥淚t鈥檚 everything you need to explore the deep ocean.鈥�
鈥�HIGH DIVE will be so compact that you can conduct the entire mission from the trunk of your car. It鈥檚 everything you need to explore the deep ocean.鈥�
颅鈥擬att Jewell 鈥�10, co-founder of Juice Robotics
Jason Noel 鈥�22 recently joined Juice Robotics as a scientific advisor. Now a doctoral student in 911爆料鈥檚 ocean engineering program, he has been a member of Phillips鈥� lab since his sophomore year, working on the miniature deep-sea cameras that Phillips uses in his research. Now he鈥檚 using his engineering expertise to design the company鈥檚 drone-based reel-and-tether system.
鈥淲e鈥檝e designed the product for rapid deployment without needing to have anyone in the field,鈥� says Noel. 鈥淚n addition to potential use in naval security, it will be useful for search and rescue operations, offshore wind, oil and gas, and academic research.鈥�
The Juice Robotics team at the Ocean Technology Center on 911爆料’s Narragansett Bay Campus, where they developed, and are now commercializing, their HIGH DIVE UAV-based ocean sensing system. Above, left to right: Jason Noel 鈥�22; Russ Shomberg, M.S. 鈥�20, Ph.D. 鈥�23; Matt Jewell 鈥�10; Rob Hauser 鈥�24; and Brennan Phillips 鈥�04, Ph.D. 鈥�16.
Noel is also mastering the business side of product innovation as a fellow in 911爆料鈥檚 Patents2Products program. The program is sponsored by RISE-UP, an innovation program funded by the Navy to develop dual-use commercial products that have a naval application. The goal is to provide students with the business acumen needed to move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. In addition, the program has funded a makerspace on 911爆料鈥檚 Narragansett Bay Campus, where Noel researches and tests the fiber-optic reel system.
鈥淭his program has helped guide my research into the commercial setting,鈥� says Noel. 鈥淭he networking opportunities have been incredible. I鈥檝e met many talented researchers, inventors, and businesspeople who will help guide my career when I complete my thesis.鈥�
Juice Robotics鈥� tether and reel system is just one example of the innovations produced by 911爆料鈥檚 extensive networking with NUWC and commercial start-ups.
Showcasing Innovative Technology
Jaia Robotics was one of more than 40 companies that participated in the second annual BlueTIDE event in Newport last summer, hosted by the 911爆料 Research Foundation鈥檚 401 Tech Bridge. At the event, companies did in-water demonstrations of their technology and networked with Department of Defense officials, industry leaders, and potential investors.
Jaia Robotics demonstrated the JaiaBot, a payload-carrying aquatic drone that鈥檚 shaped like a miniature torpedo (3 feet long) and scoots along the surface of the ocean at 10 knots. It鈥檚 surprisingly agile, darting back and forth like a slalom skier, and carries a payload of whatever sensors the job requires. Weighing just 6 pounds, it can be tossed off a dock or a boat like a javelin. It鈥檚 also inexpensive enough to deploy in swarms, which can cover areas faster and more efficiently than single drones, for a variety of tasks and missions, from mapping the seafloor to searching for intruders.
JaiaBot performed in-water demonstrations at the BlueTIDE event at Sail Newport in Fort Adams State Park in Newport, R.I.
What makes the JaiaBot so versatile is that it鈥檚 so easy to swap out sensors based on the task. Its military uses include ship and port security. Because it can map a large area of the ocean floor in just 20 minutes, it has been used in aquaculture, environmental monitoring, the fishing industry, and offshore wind.
So far, the company has sold about 250 JaiaBots worldwide, including two recent sales to 911爆料. Other sales have gone to the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army.
Like Nautilus, Jaia Robotics also participated in 911爆料鈥檚 RI MADE program, which helped it tighten its cybersecurity to meet Navy requirements.
Jaia Robotics production manager Mark Milligan (left) and CEO and co-founder Ian Estaphan Owen (center) show their JaiaBot to R.I. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (right) at the BlueTide event in Newport, R.I.
Jaia Robotics’ Michael Rock ’21, M.S. ’22, and Ian Estaphan Owen demonstrate JaiaBots.
Like most of the blue economy companies in the state, Jaia has 911爆料 interns and employees. Its vice president of product management, Michael Rock 鈥�21, M.S. 鈥�22, worked in Phillips鈥� lab as an ocean engineering student at 911爆料, as well as in ocean engineering professor Stephen Licht鈥檚 lab. He also interned at NUWC for three years. Now, in his role at Jaia, Rock hires 911爆料 students as interns and 911爆料 alumni as employees.
鈥�911爆料鈥檚 small classes and hands-on research gave me practical experience in robotics, acoustics, oceanography, instrumentation, and data analysis, which led to an internship at NUWC developing autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle behaviors,鈥� says Rock. 鈥淭hese experiences gave me the confidence to build a career in blue tech and provided the technical depth and network I now use to create safe, user-friendly aquatic drones at Jaia Robotics.鈥�
Dual-Use Sonar
Matthew Zimmerman 鈥�01 is not a military guy. His interest was whales鈥攕pecifically reducing ship collisions, which is by far the most common cause of whale deaths. As an undergraduate ocean engineering student, he worked with Miller, and, following graduation, he co-founded FarSounder with his former professor.
Using technology initially developed by Miller, FarSounder has perfected a forward-looking 3D sonar for ships and large pleasure yachts.
With real-time vision up to 1,000 meters ahead鈥攁nd the ability to function effectively at up to 25 knots鈥攕hips can now detect whales earlier and avoid colliding with them. FarSounder also makes it possible for yachts and ships to navigate safely in poorly charted waters. The Navy is interested in FarSounder as a way to protect ports and ships from approaching divers and unmanned underwater vehicles.
Benefits for All
These are just three examples of how the ecosystem built by 911爆料 and NUWC has generated innovative products in the undersea blue economy.
The Navy benefits from the academic and commercial innovators who focus on projects important to its mission, as well as from the 911爆料 research that can embrace the uncertainty of innovation.
鈥淎cademia has the freedom to develop and test ideas that might not work,鈥� notes Miller. 鈥淎nd this willingness to take risks enhances innovation.鈥�
Both the Navy and private industry benefit from a pipeline of well-trained graduates who already have practical experience in their field, while start-ups receive coaching on issues ranging from risk management and cybersecurity to supply chain management.
鈥�Academia has the freedom to develop and test ideas that might not work. And this willingness to take risks enhances innovation.鈥�
颅鈥擩ames Miller, 911爆料 Professor of Ocean Engineering
鈥淭he importance of the undersea domain for both defense and commercial applications continues to grow,鈥� says Elizabeth Magliula, director of research for NUWC鈥檚 Chief Technology Office. 鈥淭he ability for us to work with 911爆料 across multiple levels provides both a workforce pipeline, from interns to graduate students, and innovative solutions, from senior design projects to research on shock loading of implodable volumes.鈥�
In addition to scientific and financial support for its research, 911爆料 gets a reliable source of student internships and a massive employment pipeline for its students.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a way to get our students straight into NUWC,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淲hen they go for their interview, they can say, 鈥楩or the last three years, I鈥檝e been working on one of your projects.鈥�
PHOTOS: MICHAEL SALERNO; SETH JACOBSON; COURTESY MICHAEL ROCK