Ocean Power Technologies Inc (NYSE-A:OPTT) (OPT) announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Gradient Marine, a US-based provider of advanced digital modeling, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
OPT said through this collaboration, the company will integrate Gradient Marine’s Virtual Maritime Picture (VMP) software to develop and deploy digital twins for OPT’s flagship platforms, including the PowerBuoy and WAM-V autonomous surface vehicles.
It added that these digital models are expected to enable OPT and its customers to conduct real-world simulation, mission rehearsal, and lifecycle testing in a virtual environment before deployment, accelerating development cycles and reducing operational risk.
“By leveraging Gradient Marine’s advanced digital twin and simulation technology, we can offer our customers unprecedented confidence through ‘simulation-before-deployment’,” Ocean Power Technologies senior vice president of commercial sales Jason Weed said in a statement.
“This means faster innovation, reduced risk, and better mission outcomes across defense, offshore, and commercial sectors.”
OPT noted that the partnership is expected to open new opportunities in defense, offshore wind, aquaculture, subsea infrastructure, and environmental monitoring, while also providing access to Gradient Marine’s Department of Defense customer network.