Nauticus Robotics (KITT) outlined its push toward commercial-scale operations during a session at the Water Tower Research Virtual Insights Conference on Sept. 22, covering technology deployments, geographic expansion and a strategic shift in how the company structures its contracts.
John Gibson, president and CEO, said the company's shared-autonomy software, ToolKITT, has improved operational efficiency by roughly 20%, allowing its autonomous subsea vehicles to complete more work or increase profitability on turnkey tasks. The software functions as an autopilot layer for subsea vehicles, managing position-holding, current compensation and waypoint navigation.
Nauticus operates the Aquanaut, a battery-powered autonomous underwater vehicle designed to work without a tether or human operator, and two conventional work-class Comanche remotely operated vehicles. During the third quarter, one Comanche was deployed in the Northeast offshore-wind market and another on the Gulf Coast, both at depths of up to 3 kilometers below the surface.
The company is also expanding its international footprint through a partnership with Master Investment Group in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The arrangement will establish a local entity serving as a component-manufacturing and manipulator-assembly base, along with customer support, deployment and training capabilities, and a regional headquarters covering Qatar and the UAE—reducing reliance on its Houston operations.
On the defense side, Gibson said Nauticus is targeting opportunities with the U.S. Navy and Pentagon in areas including autonomous navigation, persistent subsea sensing, infrastructure inspection and manipulation work that does not require large surface vessels or crews. Upcoming industry events include Unmanned Maritime Systems Technology USA in Arlington, Virginia; Defence IQ in Lisbon; and ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi.
Gibson described a strategic move away from acting solely as a subcontractor under general contractors—who control timing and customer relationships—toward securing prime-contractor roles on international projects to capture higher margins and direct value.
On the capital side, the company recently executed debt-for-equity exchanges, secured equity-line financing and worked toward Nasdaq listing compliance.
Nauticus Robotics shares were trading at $0.6373, up 3.41% at the time of publication.
