Munich: German defence company Helsing, which specialises in AI technology, has developed an underwater drone that can be deployed to protect ships and critical infrastructure, the Munich-based firm said on Tuesday. Dubbed SG-1 Fathom, the autonomous underwater glider is capable of patrolling for up to three months at a time in search of underwater threats, Helsing stated.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the company also unveiled the Lura software platform and advanced AI system which deploys on the drone. It is able to detect and classify sounds made by ships and submarines with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy, thanks to a large acoustic model similar to language models. Lura's use of a large acoustic model enables it to detect acoustic signatures 10 times quieter than other AI models, even differentiating between specific vessels from within the same class. It operates at a speed up to 40 times faster than human operators.
The company also manufactures the HX-2 kamikaze drone, which is used by Ukraine. "Lura detects threats so our navies can deter," said co-founder and co-chief executive Grundbert Scherf. "We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life. Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe."
Western countries have been looking for ways to protect pipelines and data cables on the seabed from sabotage, attacks, and spying attempts for some time.