Navy robot deal quadruples as US looks to ‘outsmart’ China with AI at sea

The US Navy is raising its contract ceiling for Gecko Robotics’ AI-assisted ship inspections from $71 million to $300 million, aiming to find maintenance problems sooner and return vessels to service faster. The expansion reflects pressure to improve fleet readiness as China’s navy grows and US shipyards struggle to match its shipbuilding pace.

Gecko’s robots scan hard-to-reach areas for corrosion and metal loss, with findings analysed by its AI platform to help crews target repairs. The company says inspections can identify some structural issues up to 50 times faster and save up to $8 million per ship; in one example, a proposed repair area shrank from about 1,200 square feet to 300. A new robot, Komodo, is designed to inspect steel beneath deck coatings without removing them first.