Sea Machines Robotics, a Boston-based developer of autonomous vessel technology, announced Wednesday that it has quadrupled in size in the past 18 months.
Sea Machines said the significant increase in headcount in both the United States and Europe is the result of multiyear strategic plans that are positioning it as a leader in the new marine technology space.
Sea Machines’ employee growth comes on the heels of the company’s announcement in March that it had opened a second office in the port city of Hamburg, Germany, which provides convenient access to several key locations and is supporting the company’s growing demand for engineering, sales and marketing across Europe.
In April, Sea Machines signed a contract with A.P. Moller-Maersk to trial its industry-leading perception and situational awareness technology onboard one of the company’s new-build ice-class container ships.
In September, the company will release its SM300, the world’s first productized industrial-grade control system to provide autonomous and remote vessel control for workboats and other commercial marine vessels.
“This technology serves operations looking for remote commanded operator-in-the loop autonomy in survey, spill response, dredging and security/surveillance,” Sea Machines said.
In addition, Sea Machines is managing a pilot program with Tuco Marine of Denmark to test the autonomous technology aboard ProZero workboats.
The company said it also is developing advanced-perception technology and navigation-assistance technology for a range of vessel types.
Sea Machines expects to hire additional personnel, including perception engineers, software developers and autonomy engineers, in both Boston and Hamburg in the near future.