U-M’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) enters partnership with one of the nation’s most innovative research and technology firms, Navatek LLC, to advance research in the area of data-model fusion for future naval platform design and operation.
Navatek, a leading contractor focused on technology research for U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense and NASA, has been awarded a $4.8m contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and has partnered with U-M to conduct research in the emerging area of data-model fusion for U.S. Navy ships, small craft and machinery. To that end, Navatek has opened new offices in Ann Arbor (located in Domino’s Farms) to allow for closer collaboration with U-M research partners.
This research effort will provide a framework for new concepts such as digital-twins and artificial intelligence (AI), to naval research and engineering, in addition to developing tools to support data-driven design and operation of autonomous naval systems.
The program advances research in the area of data-model fusion for future naval platform design and operation, culminating in software, procedures, and training protocols to for U.S. Navy manned, unmanned, and autonomous ships. This new research will create a unified approach using physics-based models and machine learning ocean models to improve platform motions, operations, and sensor & weapon system performance.
