A ship-scaling robot is getting new work with the US Navy's fleet - Breaking Defense

Pennsylvania-based Gecko Robotics today announced the US Navy has expanded its use of the company’s hull-scaling robot, designed to detect structural integrity problems, to its first amphibious assault ship as well as an additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

“We are proud to have a mature technology that has been tested and approved by both Navy technical leaders and the sustainment officials charged with reducing the Navy’s maintenance backlog,” said the company’s CEO Jake Loosararian in a press release. “The sailors of the U.S. Navy have a vital mission in an increasingly complicated geopolitical environment and Gecko stands with them to make sure they have the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”

The company did not disclose in its release the value of the work or the specific vessels its been hired to inspect. A Navy spokesperson did not respond to Breaking Defense’s questions about the announcement by press time.

Gecko, which was founded in 2013, designs and produces robots capable of scaling a ship’s hull to detect and predict areas of the vessel that may be prone to structural failure. The one in use by the US Navy weighs 50 pounds.