Canberra start-up Forge Photonics, which is commercialising autonomous vehicle navigation systems invented at the Australian National University (ANU), has signed a deal with robotics company Mission Systems to supply fibre optic gyroscopes for its underwater drones.
Forge Photonics said the technology is intended to reduce the cost of navigation systems for autonomous platforms including cars, ships and defence applications, and it is targeting a global market it estimates at at least A$120 billion.
Mission Systems, which is based in Sydney, uses the gyroscopes in its subsea drones, sometimes referred to as “yellow submarines” because of their colour. Forge Photonics said Mission Systems selected its navigation system because it does not rely on GPS or acoustic transmissions, reducing the chance of detection underwater, and because it is cheaper than alternative guidance systems.
Forge Photonics CEO Justin Wong said the company’s gyroscopic technology uses lasers, fibre optic cables and algorithms originally developed to detect gravitational waves, and was developed at ANU.
Mission Systems Director Dr David Battle said local production of low-cost fibre optic inertial navigation systems supports sovereign industrial capability and enables greater customisation and tuning for specific applications.
Forge Photonics said it has attracted investment from IP Group and superannuation fund Hostplus. IP Group Principal Eeshan Kulkarni said the agreement with Mission Systems was a significant step for the company.
Wong said the defence market is important but the company expects higher-volume use cases across industry and agriculture, and eventually the automotive sector. He said Forge Photonics is in advanced discussions about pilot projects with potential customers including a US-based navigation sensor company, a global car manufacturer, and a European defence company.
