Coda Octopus Group Inc (CODA)

[multivalue]

ORLANDO, FL, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coda Octopus Group, Inc. (CODA) (CODA), a global leader in real-time 3D sonar technology and real-time subsea intelligence, announced that its Gen 1 Diver Augmented Vision Display (DAVD) system, developed in conjunction with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) and NAVSEA 00C3, has met the project’s Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) objectives. The Company has successfully transitioned the NSWC PCD faceplate prototype to a first-generation operational system in production. NAVSEA 00C3, the Navy Diving Project Manager, has signed off on the Gen 1 DAVD and named it “Ready for Fleet Issue,” in a recent issue of Faceplate. The Gen 1 DAVD is expected to be added to the “Authorized for Navy Use” (ANU) product list, available for supply across the U.S. Navy, military and Allies, in the coming weeks.

CODA also announced that next Gen R&D development of the multi-generation DAVD system – sponsored and funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) through the ONR Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) program is underway. The DAVD program continues to be managed by NAVSEA 00C3, and the ONR FNC program will continue to fund the development of the end-to-end diver management solution in a staged approach through three generations, as new technology and capabilities develop.

The initial DAVD Gen 1 product focuses on the high-resolution, see-through head-up display (HUD) embedded directly inside the standard Navy-issue Kirby Morgan KM37, KM37SS and KM97 helmets, with supported dive helmets and masks expected to increase after initial release. CODA is expected to start supplying initial Gen 1 DAVD systems to the Navy for operational use with its core dive teams in early 2020. Paul D. McMurtrie, Diving Equipment RDT&E Program Manager for Naval Sea Systems Command, commented in the December 2019 Faceplate article: “…initial fleet issue will take place from January 2020 through June 2020. The first units scheduled for fleet delivery are to the two primary MDSU [Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit] commands, and the two primary UCT [Underwater Construction Team] commands. Each command will receive one full up DAVD system, along with system operational training pier side.”

Blair Cunningham, Coda Octopus Group’s President of Technology, commented: “We are excited to have accomplished this important Gen 1 milestone with our NAVSEA collaborators including NASA. This program represents a significant and material opportunity for Coda Octopus Group, as the real opportunity is to positively impact both naval and commercial diving operations globally. This product is ‘state of the art’ and we believe will significantly advance diving operations by providing capability for both diver and dive supervisors on surface vessel to jointly see the same scene underwater, thus managing these operations more effectively. It also mitigates against zero visibility conditions. We are extremely pleased that the DAVD program is now part of the Office of Naval Research’s Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) program whose mission is developing and transitioning cutting-edge technologies to acquisition programs of record. Along with our NAVSEA collaborators, we expect that this product and subsequent generations of the DAVD, if successful, will advance diving operations and we hope will be the first step in the standardization of this real-time 3D technology for diving operations not only in the USA but globally, among Allies.”

For further information, see CODA’s news releases, “Coda Octopus Group Awarded Contract to Advance U.S. Naval Diving Operations with State-of-the-art Real-time 3D Subsea Intelligence for Next Generation Wearable Head Up Display with Embedded Software” (February 5, 2018), “Coda Octopus Group Enters into a Navy Cooperative Research And Development Agreement with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division for Naval Real-Time 3D Imaging Head Up Display Diver Solution” (July 16, 2018), and “Coda Octopus Group Announces the Successful Completion of NAVSEA and NASA Joint Mission Trials of Diver Augmented Vision Display (DAVD) Generation 1.0 Head-Up Display Prototype System” (September 9, 2019)...

Coda Octopus Group Announces Gen 1 Diver Augmented Vision Display (DAVD) System Completed and Delivered