Boston Engineering Awarded START Grant for Underwater Robotics

Boston Engineering Corporation has been awarded a Phase I START grant in support of an existing Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. START is a $6 million initiative funded by the Patrick Administration and administered by MassVentures to help growing companies commercialize technologies developed under these contracts. This program supports Massachusetts-based companies as they increase employment opportunities, promote manufacturing and commercialization, and stimulate innovation across the Commonwealth.

The Phase II SBIR contract advances Boston Engineering’s commercialization of BIOSwimmer, a biomimetic, autonomous, unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that employs the mechanics and dynamics of biological fish to address critical capability gaps in military and security applications.

“Underwater robotics is a burgeoning market just starting to realize its potential. Future commercial and government entities will include heavy use of robotics across many fields.” said Michael Rufo, Boston Engineering’s Advanced Systems Director. “Going forward, our UUV technology provides a game-changing approach that is both an improvement on existing solutions as well as an enabling solution for currently impossible task profiles. The START grant provides us with added capability to ensure commercialization of this exciting technology across many mission areas and markets.”

Robotics is just one of the areas where the company applies its system-level approach to engineering. Boston Engineering also provides engineering services in the fields of Medical Devices, Industrial Electronics, Electromechanical Systems, Defense Systems and Sensors, Product Development, Commercialization, and more. Historically, the company has supplied cutting edge robotics’ research and development (R&D) for the United States Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and currently it is expanding to include medical surgery-assist robots, oil and gas field robotics, among others.

“The START program is a great testament to our state’s commitment to supporting the commercialization efforts of small, innovative businesses in Massachusetts. We feel appreciated and motivated to help realize the sustainable jobs everyone in the state wants,”said Mark Smithers, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Boston Engineering.