Power budgets are a challenge for developers and operators of uncrewed systems in the defence and security domains as well as the commercial world. At DSEI 2025 Canada’s Quaze Technologies, Inc. and US Vatn Systems, Inc. are announcing a partnership to enable fully autonomous, remote wireless charging for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Described as a “breakthrough in underwater robotics,” the technology empowers a graceful solution to a seemingly intractable problem in the most challenging of operational environments, thus directly addressing the challenge.
The AUVs developed by Vatn are low-cost, high performance autonomous systems designed for extended underwater missions, “delivering scalable maritime capability through mass deployment at a fraction of traditional costs,” according to a 5 September release. The Skelmir S-6 AUV, selected for the initial demonstration of the solution, will have the Quaze QU-6 wireless charging receiver integrated. This obviates the need for physical connectors and will enable autonomous recharging via a remotely-located wide surface power docking point.
The collaboration “pushes the boundaries of AUV operations by removing the failure point of charging connectors,” according to Xavier Bidaut, CEO of Quaze. Vatn CEO, Nelon Mills, adds that it “represents a major advancement in autonomous maritime robotics and will enable scalable, resilient and cost-effective underwater operations”.
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Addressing a significant operational challenge, the chief attractions for operators, surely, will be the elimination of physical connectors – which will considerably reduce the potential for human error or clumsiness causing failure – and the potential for the charging platform to be in a remote location, thereby reducing operator risk. From a procurement perspective, the claim that the solution is “cost-effective” may well be a deciding factor: the attraction of swarm operations by uncrewed platforms in all operational domains is growing daily, but so is the barrier of untrammeled acquisition costs. It seems the companies here are confronting that issue head-on.
Image: Vatn Systems’ Skelmir S-6 AUV. (Vatn Systems, Inc.)
