LYNNWOOD — Kongsberg Underwater Technology is changing how we explore our oceans.
All within a stone’s throw of Alderwood Mall.
The oceanic exploration company, housed in a business park in Lynnwood, specializes in underwater cameras, sonar equipped motion sensors, transmitters and data recorders.
Kongsberg’s most exciting achievement is the Seaglider, a lemon-yellow, torpedo-shaped vehicle, with fixed black wings. It’s just under 6 feet long and weighs 114 pounds.
The Seaglider is an efficient — and cute — self-driving underwater exploration vehicle.
The Seaglider was first developed by the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography and Applied Physics Lab, which is funded almost entirely by the federal Office of Naval Research.
The Navy declassified the technology, and the Applied Physics Lab was responsible for finding a commercial partner to license the technology.
As a local engineering group with almost three decades of experience producing and installing complex monitoring systems, Kongsberg Underwater was a perfect fit to license the Seaglider from UW.
Kongsberg Underwater produced its first Seagliders in late 2013. Seven employees were hired to manufacture the product. Previously, the company was responsible for implanting software into systems hardware manufactured in other countries.
Now, Seagliders are produced in the Kongsberg Underwater’s Lynnwood factory, with parts sourced from around Washington state.
“It’s very exciting to finally get to make something here,” said Kongsberg President and CEO Tom Healy.
The Seaglider is programmed to dive up and down in the ocean, reaching depths of up to 3,200 feet. The Seaglider collects data about the ocean. When it reaches the water’s surface, the Seaglider directs its tail, a radium antenna, toward a satellite, transmitting its data to the customer.
The vehicle runs on a lithium battery costing $10,000. Data transmission costs $1,000 each month.”
“When you consider that a good-sized research vessel costs about $50,000 a day to operate, this is pennies on the dollar,” said Rich Patterson, general manager of Kongsberg’s Underwater Glider Operations.
It can take the Seaglider five hours to reach depths of maximum depth.
This motion, called “buoyancy propulsion,” is the key to the Seaglider’s efficiency. Its design drastically reduces the cost of underwater exploration.
After the device is carried to sea, no further manpower is required for its operation.
The Seaglider doesn’t get seasick. In fact, it’s so durable that it has survived shark bites. The Kongsberg team laughed off the Seaglider’s puncture wounds that they found.
Each Seaglider’s path is programmed via satellite. The navigation path and data are exchanged between the Seaglider and customer as computer code.
The Seaglider’s functions include environmental monitoring, physical and chemical oceanography, and longterm monitoring of biomass and behavior. Marine life monitoring is a valuable tool for commercial fishing and environmentists alike.
The vehicle’s compact design allows it to explore extreme conditions, including polar climates.
Offshore oil drilling requires extensive exploration and the Seaglider can be equipped with sensors to detect deep-sea oil reservoirs.
The Seaglider can be further customized to meet a variety of demands.
Elizabeth Creed, a marine oceanographer who recently moved from the East Coast to work as a systems engineer at Kongsberg, conducts training courses for Seaglider students.
Seaglider customers are trained at the Lynnwood office, and practice their skills inside a pool in the factory. After training, they get to practice out in the Puget Sound.
“This is a small group, and so we make sure that we are cross-trained,” Creed added. “So that we can go in and do what needs to be done.”
Kongsberg Underwater employs 40 people. More than a third have engineering degrees. The company celebrated its 27th anniversary this April. Its Norwegian parent company, Kongsberg Gruppen, celebrated its 200th anniversary last year.
The company is continuing to advance its Seagliders applications to include more technology for monitoring the health of our oceans, measuring ocean acidification and the impact of industry on water quality and marine life.
“We don’t know enough about our oceans,” Healy said. “And we need to know more.”
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