24 July 2024
Navigating New Depths with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
Founded by NUS alumni, BeeX is a deep tech engineering spin-off that has flourished under the wings of the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP) and maritime innovation ecosystem builder PIER71™.
BeeX founders Goh Eng Wei and Grace Chia with their autonomous underwater vehicle invention.
BeeX’s journey began as a student research project helmed by Grace Chia (Engineering ’14) and Goh Eng Wei (Engineering ’13) during their time at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2008.
Over the years, BeeX has evolved into a formidable crew of fourteen, united by a shared mission to revolutionise underwater inspections through the power of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV).
Looking back on their journey, Ms Chia and Mr Goh fondly recall their participation and achievements in competitions organised by the US Office of Naval Research. These competitions served as platforms for passionate engineers aspiring to build AUVs when such technology was still a dream.
With that same burning passion, they set sail into the corporate world after graduation, where they sold underwater vehicles controlled by humans and sensor payloads. Mr Goh recounted, “We realised that underwater infrastructure inspections were not optimised due to the lack of advanced solutions. While technological advancements soared on land and in the skies, the subsea domain remained stagnant. With a firm belief that autonomy could unlock subsea potential, we founded BeeX with the goal of not only introducing autonomy to underwater depths, but also charting a new course for the underwater industry.”
This realisation drove Ms Chia and Mr Goh to a crucial decision — to license their AUV technology through GRIP, a step that allowed them to commercialise their innovation. With their technology officially licensed and their dreams beginning to take shape, BeeX’s focus shifted towards the market. They embarked on a customer discovery journey through PIER71™‘s Smart Port Challenge 2020, assessing how their solutions could find value in the maritime sector.
Ms Chia (in yellow) receiving the top prize from Mr Chee Hong Tat, then-Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs, at the Smart Port Challenge 2020.
It was during this time that feedback from vessel owners revealed an additional need —underwater inspection for their vessels. This insight sparked the idea of potentially repurposing their technology for the maritime industry, expanding upon their presence in the energy and defense sectors.
The significance of a name is in its vision, and the name chosen by BeeX is no exception. The inclusion of the letter “X” symbolises their pursuit of exponential improvement, acting as a driving force behind their every endeavour.
Their logo, representative of their flagship solution A.IKANBILIS, exemplifies their unique approach. Grace explained, “Unlike the conventional torpedo shaped solutions in the market, our AUVs can stand firmly anchored on the sea floor at four distinct corners, providing a stable base for precise inspections. The four quadrants in our logo also mirror the four pillars of BeeX’s strategy: hardware, software, analysis, and the promise of exponential growth.”
Central to BeeX is their groundbreaking creation: A.IKANBILIS. Operating in more than five countries worldwide, A.IKANBILIS is a fleet of six Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (HAUV) that surfs the currents of innovation, akin to self-driving cars but beneath the waves.
Leveraging the autonomous capabilities of A.IKANBILIS allows for consistent high quality data collection that is independent of operators’ skills. The training time required for teams to collect such high-quality data is also greatly reduced, enabling their personnel to dedicate more time to data analysis.
Collaborating with global experts from renowned institutions like NUS, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine based in Singapore, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Southern Mississippi, BeeX continues to push boundaries, expand possibilities, and redefine the underwater industry.
In 2024, BeeX is set to launch BETTA, an upgraded version of the HAUV, with improved capabilities to tackle even harsher underwater conditions. BETTA’s advanced features will significantly expand its operational range, empowering BeeX to undertake underwater inspections of hundreds of wind farms by 2027.
When asked about advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Ms Chia shared, “Carefully consider the problem you want to solve, have a strong passion to solve it, and fully commit to finding the best solutions.” Indeed, passion and a profound understanding of industry challenges are the driving forces behind success.
This article first appeared in Issue #39 (Oct - Dec 2023) of SPARKS, a publication of NUS Enterprise.