Exail and UNH Open Maritime Autonomy Innovation Hub

A new innovation hub at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) will engage in all aspects of marine autonomous operations to help meet the challenges of the growing blue economy.  

High-tech industrial group Exail will use the new center to deliver increased operational advantage to U.S. civil and government customers. This includes the U.S. production of its uncrewed surface vessel (USV), DriX, the housing of a remote operation center to conduct worldwide remote autonomous operations, establishing local operations, maintenance and training facilities, and providing expertise on maritime autonomy while also training future generations on the use of autonomous vessels.

The new hub will be located within UNH’s Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center in Durham, to facilitate collaborative work with UNH’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM). University of New Hampshire is considered a leader in the field of ocean mapping research.

“We’ve been working together with UNH for the past six years pioneering uncrewed technologies, and we are now capitalizing on our common achievements with the opening of this new innovation hub.” States Marine Slingue, president at Exail, Inc. “We’re very proud and excited to take this next step in our U.S. adventure, and we would like to thank UNH, CCOM and NOAA, for their great support, leadership and vision on the use of uncrewed technologies that took us where we are today. We look forward to our continuous partnership with them and all the great work we achieve together to keep advancing maritime autonomy in the U.S.”

“This exciting collaboration will not only be good for Exail and UNH students and researchers but also good for New Hampshire and the nation,” said Larry Mayer, director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire. “We anticipate that it is just the start of bringing many of our other industrial partners and government colleagues to the state as we create a local engine for the new blue economy. ”