Gecko Robotics will use advanced weld inspection and data capabilities to help the U.S. Navy speed the manufacturing process for the Columbia-class nuclear submarine program.
PITTSBURGH—Gecko Robotics is working to help modernize the manufacturing process for the $132 billion Columbia-class nuclear submarine program under a new demonstration contract with the U.S. Navy, the company said in a release.
Gecko will use its advanced weld inspection and data capabilities to help the Navy decrease inspection time and reduce costs during the manufacturing process, while also providing a baseline of data to improve in-service maintenance cycles, according to the release.
“We are proud to grow our partnership with the U.S. Navy beyond helping get ships through the maintenance process faster, to providing advanced manufacturing capabilities for the Columbia-class program,” said Jake Loosararian, CEO and co-founder of Gecko Robotics, in a statement. “Demand from customers for more data on the front-end of the manufacturing process to help implement better predictive maintenance is growing, and we’re looking forward to starting this work with the Columbia sub program.”
Under the new contract, the Navy will incorporate Gecko’s robotic digital weld inspections to assess the integrity of welds during the manufacturing process. Digitizing weld inspection results will transform a key manufacturing process for the Columbia-class program, freeing up the skilled workforce for higher value tasks and eliminating the risk of unknown weld conditions. The goal of the project will be to validate the return on investment of Gecko’s weld inspection process throughout several tiers of the Columbia-class supply chain.
The contract will be executed with BlueForge Alliance, a nonprofit integrator supporting the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base.
Gecko currently has contracts with the United States Navy, to speed maintenance cycles for surface ships, and with the United States Air Force to rapidly assess the condition of ICBM launch facilities as part of the Sentinel program. The company’s offerings combine wall-climbing robots, sensors, and an AI-powered data platform to provide customers with what the company called “a unique window into the current and future health of their physical assets.”
The company reported in December that it raised $100 million, extending its Series C funding round to $173 million. The funding will enable major growth in Gecko’s defense business, according to Loosararian.
“This investment is designed to help supercharge our work, ensuring the critical assets that our military relies on to protect our national security are ready,” said Loosararian in a statement. “From our work getting ships out of maintenance cycles faster, to helping build the next generation of military equipment, Gecko is proud to be increasing our partnerships with the U.S. Military.”