Canberra-based Forge Photonics has signed a contract with Sydney-based Mission Systems to supply fibre optic gyroscopes for its underwater drones – vehicles referred to as “yellow submarines” for their colour.
“Our objective is for our technology to not only ‘live in yellow submarines’ but to help make them undetectable, and thus boost Australia’s deterrent military capability,” Forge Photonics, CEO Justin Wong, said.
“Our gyroscopic technology uses lasers, fibre optic cables and algorithms originally developed to detect gravitational waves and was home-grown at the ANU.”
Forge Photonics has been using its own novel technology to drive down the cost of navigation systems for self-driving cars, ships and defence platforms.
“This enables a higher degree of customisation and tuning to specific applications that has previously been impossible,” Mission Systems Director, David Battle, stated.
“Forge’s novel technology has particular attributes that make it compelling for undersea applications.”
The company has commercialised autonomous vehicle navigation systems invented at the Australian National University (ANU).
Mission Systems has chosen Forge Photonics’ navigation system because it is not reliant on GPS or acoustic transmissions, reducing the chance of detection.
Forge Photonics has attracted Investment from IP Group and superannuation fund Hostplus.
“Forge Photonics is developing a radically new architecture for navigation systems and this deal with Mission Systems is a significant step forward,” IP Group Principal, Eeshan Kulkarni, highlighted.
Forge Photonics is in advanced discussions about pilot projects with a range of potential customers including a US-based navigation sensor company, a global car manufacturer, and a European Defence company.