Kongsberg Obtains Rights to Sell Seaglider

Photo courtesy Kongsberg Maritime.

By Danielle Lucey



Kongsberg Underwater Technology Inc. announced that it has secured the rights to sell the Seaglider autonomous underwater vehicle.



The Kongsberg Maritime subsidiary negotiated for the rights with the University of Washington, the original creators of the Seaglider. The AUV recently fell out of the marketplace when iRobot dissolved its maritime division in late 2012. The company offered to keep up support of its current customers but ended all sales of the product, which it had the license to produce since 2008. 



"We are extremely pleased to add Seaglider technology to Kongsberg's market leading AUV product line," says Tom Healy, president of Kongsberg Underwater Technology Inc. "Seaglider will allow us to further expand into new segments of the marine technology market. It fits very well with our philosophy of providing comprehensive, full-picture, solutions to our customers."



The move consolidates many popular AUVs under Kongsberg Maritime’s umbrella. The company also sells the Hugin and REMUS vehicles. 



Kongsberg Underwater Technology’s offices in Lynnwood, Wash., places it very close to the University of Washington’s campus in Seattle.