As with terrestrial robots, increasing levels of autonomy empowered by artificial intelligence have led to maritime platforms with greater capabilities. They are useful for a wider range of applications in scientific exploration, the oil and gas industry, and more. Such maritime systems are also leading to new business models, according to Houston Mechatronics CEO Nicolaus Radford.

In his RoboBusiness Direct session on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, Radford will describe the growing opportunity for commercial, unmanned maritime systems. He is also chief technology officer of Houston Mechatronics, which develops autonomous robots for deep-ocean applications.

In addition, Radford will highlight the specific challenges in developing autonomous underwater vehicles and unique business models, using the entrepreneurial experience of Houston Mechatronics as a guide.

Radford will describe how his company has won contracts and deployment marine robots. He will also explain where critical capabilities are lacking, providing opportunities for innovative solutions.

About RoboBusiness Direct

RoboBusiness Direct is an ongoing series of digital events delivered by brightest minds from the leading robotics and automation organizations around the world. The series complements continuing coverage and analysis in Robotics Business Review, a sibling site to Collaborative Robotics Trends.

RoboBusiness Direct is designed to impart to business and engineering professionals the information they need to identify market opportunities, successfully develop and deploy the next generation of commercial robotics systems, and accelerate their businesses.

You can find a listing of RoboBusiness Direct speakers and session topics, along with the dates and times of RoboBusiness Direct programs, HERE.

There is no charge to register for RoboBusiness Direct programs.

About Houston Mechatronics’ CEO

Nicolaus Radford is the co-founder, chief technology officer, and CEO at Houston Mechatronics, where he is responsible for growing and positioning the company as a robotics and mechatronics leader specializing in both intelligent automation and electric vehicles.

Prior to Houston Mechatronics, Radford spent 14 years at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the Dexterous Robotics Laboratory. At NASA, Radford was the principal investigator (PI) for the Valkyrie project, a humanoid robot developed initially for disaster response outlined in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. He also served as the deputy and chief engineer for Robonaut 2, a spaceflight humanoid robot, initially developed in partnership with General Motors.

Radford was also the PI for NASA in DARPA-funded advanced electric machine research for robotics using variable-flux memory motors (VFMMs). He led NASA’s efforts in exoskeleton research for crew exercise and mobility assistance and served as co-PI for NASA on DARPA’s Warrior Web program, which focused on wearable robotics for military applications. Radford holds a BS and MS in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University.