Strategic partnership to commercialize UVAS technology
AXSUB Inc, a subsea and hyperbaric monitoring systems manufacturer headquartered in Rimouski, Quebec has entered into an exclusive strategic partnership agreement with Darkwater Vision to co-develop and commercialize an underwater vision product line built around UVAS underwater vision augmentation system technology. The agreement centers around using UVAS patent-protected technology designed to improve image clarity and situational awareness for commercial diving operations operating under low visibility subsea environments.
Under this partnership framework, AXSUB and Darkwater Vision will collaborate on joint research and development activities to advance UVAS solutions from concept through commercialization. A technology pathway has been formalized that seeks to transform Darkwater Vision intellectual property into ruggedized diver-ready systems; AXSUB will offer its expertise in subsea electronics, cameras and monitoring platforms designed specifically for hyperbaric or subsea environments.
Manufacturing Role for AXSUB in Commercial Diving Industry
AXSUB will become a manufacturing agent for UVAS enabled products serving the commercial diving market under an agreement revealed recently in trade press coverage. AXSUB already manufactures digital video recorders, low voltage LED lamps, underwater cameras, electronic depthmeters and breathing gas analyzers in addition to data acquisition systems for diving and hyperbaric applications; therefore this agreement positions AXSUB perfectly to industrialize these new imaging solutions.
By drawing upon AXSUB's production capabilities in diver monitoring and subsea visualization systems, AXSUB will take on hardware design for pressure tolerant housings, the integration of UVAS modules with existing camera platforms, quality control in accordance with hyperbaric safety standards and quality assurance as part of its wider portfolio which also includes custom monitoring systems for diving systems, hyperbaric environments, tunneling projects and marine biology research deployments.
Sharing of distribution channels to expand market reach.
AXSUB and Darkwater Vision's partnership also allows for the sharing of distribution channels, with AXSUB providing compressors, analyzers, cutting rods, welding rods and cutting wire to further expand UVAS product reach within commercial diving markets and subsea applications. AXSUB serves international clients both as manufacturer and distributor for diving related equipment - compressors, analyzers and cutting/welding rods among them - giving AXSUB an established sales network from which new vision systems may be sold.
Darkwater Vision will leverage their established relationships in the subsea imaging and technology community, complementing AXSUB's presence within commercial diving contractors, hyperbaric facilities and offshore operators. Together they aim to accelerate commercialization timelines while offering after sales service, training and technical support for early adopters of UVAS-based solutions.
Positioning within the Underwater Vision and Data Acquisition Market
This initiative represents a larger trend toward improved visibility and data acquisition during safety-critical subsea operations, where poor water clarity can limit productivity while increasing risk for divers and remotely operated interventions. AXSUB has successfully established itself as a provider of hyperbaric and subsea environments data acquisition systems over the last decade; providing custom monitoring platforms for diving and high risk environments as well as design, inspection, and certification services for diver stages and lifting devices.
Integrating underwater vision augmentation technology from UVAS with existing digital video recording and monitoring systems could provide diving contractors with a more comprehensive package to improve documentation, inspection quality and diver situational awareness. From both partners' perspectives, their collaboration represents an opportunity to leverage patented imaging technology, manufacturing capacity and established industry channels into one offering targeted at commercial diving operations as well as subsea operations.