NORFOLK, Va. — Old Dominion University and the City of Norfolk are joining forces to put Hampton Roads on the map as a leader in maritime innovation.
On Wednesday morning, leaders cut the ribbon on a new test site for autonomous vessels. It’s called the Maritime Autonomous Systems Test (MAST) site. Officials say this will help position our region as a global center for autonomous maritime technology.
We’re told it’s a first-of-its-kind hub for testing unnamed surface and underwater vehicles. Yiannis E. Papelis, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Enterprise Research and Innovation (OERI) and Executive Director, Virginia Institute for Spaceflight & Autonomy (VISA) at ODU, said that for places like Hampton Roads with unique access to water, it creates an advantage…