From sci-fi to sea: US Pacific Fleet set to deploy flying, wall-climbing robots on ships

The US Navy and the General Services Administration (GSA) have awarded a contract worth up to $71 million to Gecko Robotics to use its futuristic and wall-climbing and flying robots in the Pacific Fleet ships.

According to Pittsburgh-based company’s executives, this is the first-of-its kind maintenance contract given to a robotic firm.

Gecko Robotics uses robots to inspect hard-to-reach places like storage tanks and ballast tanks. These robots gather detailed information about the materials and structure and send the information to the company's AI software, Cantilever, for analysis.

The system is known for its high efficiency as it can identify the repairs up to 50 times faster and more accurately, surpassing the manual inspections.

Currently, Grok manages a fleet of 250 robots for both commercial and government sectors. The company is also planning to expand the fleet by building 50 to 60 more this year.

As per company’s statement, the deployment of a single robot for the evaluation of a flight deck reduced more than three months of potential maintenance delays.

Given the productivity and efficiency of these robots, the recent deal highlights the scaling of robotic technology in maintenance works.

Gecko has landed a five-year deal with the US Navy and the General Services Administration to inspect and maintain 18 ships in the Pacific Fleet.

The contract starts with an initial payment of up to $54 million. Over the next five years, Gecko will work on various types of vessels, including destroyers, amphibious ships, and littoral combat ships.