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  • David Porter | PacMar Technologies

    David Porter Director, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering – East David Porter is the Director of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering for the Eastern Region at PacMar Technologies. As a Senior Naval Architect and Director, Dave is responsible for keeping the canvas up and the barnacles down across the platforms and prototypes division. From Concept to At-Sea Trials Dave applies a balance of pragmatism and creativity; respectful of the hard lessons learned and exhilarated to evolve maritime vessels on and below the bounding main. Dave has 13 years of experience in the maritime industry supporting the U.S. Navy. Dave logged more than a decade at Bath Iron Works and worked in Engineering and Operations; shipbuilding is a great teacher- with synchronized teamwork, unyielding efforts, and the right leadership, all things are possible. Dave is from New England but snuck down to the Bronx long enough to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture from SUNY Maritime and came back as quickly as he could. Maine is home now, where Dave enjoys spending time in the mountains and on the ocean with his family. ​ » back Technical Experts

  • AUTONOMY & DATA | PacMar Technologies

    Autonomy & Data Science We develop digital twins of systems and subsystems on DoD platforms, for hull structural health monitoring, self-healing autonomous machinery, and smart electrical grids. Our unique understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning is applied to the development of efficient and accurate virtual worlds. Methods to test and train unmanned systems in all domains ensures resiliency of these technologies and systems. Autonomy Development Unmanned Systems PacMar Technologies develops autonomy solutions for aerial, ground, amphibious, surface, and undersea vehicles in dynamic and uncertain environments. Our core expertise involves cognitive systems approaches for A.I.-based autonomy that enables the vehicle to perform higher-level reasoning and adapt to unexpected events. This contrasts with the state of most of today’s unmanned systems that follow scripted missions that require intense operator cognitive workload to program. PacMar Technologies autonomy research aims to invert the unmanned vehicle-operator paradigm by embedding greater intelligence and reasoning on the vehicle, thereby enabling one operator to manage multiple unmanned vehicles. By inverting that paradigm, unmanned systems become true force multipliers. Industry 4.0, Digital Twin, and the Industrial Internet of Things Industry 4.0, also known as the Industrial Internet of Things, is revolutionizing how nearly every commercial industry is achieving increased automation and resiliency with ‘smart’ machines that can monitor themselves and correct issues without human intervention. PacMar Technologies is collaborating with the Office of Naval Research and a network of universities to develop resilient, autonomous machinery for Navy ships that will reduce manning, lower lifecycle cost, and increase long duration operation of the hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) systems that ships depend on to function. Digital Twins are key enabling technology in PacMar Technologies' approach to creating ‘smart’ ship HM&E systems. Certification & Trust A significant barrier to wider adoption of autonomous systems for military applications is a lack of operator trust and rigorous methods to validate that autonomous systems will perform as intended. PacMar Technologies’ researchers are on the cutting-edge of methods for certifying autonomous system performance in dynamic environments and when subjected to novel or unpredicted conditions. Our researchers are solving fundamental challenges of how one can adequately test a system when exhaustive testing is either impractical or provably intractable. » back to top

  • Wins Obsrving Prize | PacMar Technologies

    PacMar Technologies Wins Ocean Observing Prize ​ Honolulu, HI — MAY 2020 — PacMar Technologies team, consisting of Bradley Beeksma, Patrick Montolio, Aaron Yee and Adam Crimmins, have won the Explorer Prize in the Ocean Observing Prize’s DISCOVER competition . This competition is administered by the DOE (Department of Energy) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and is designed to spur technological innovation and contribute to the growth of the blue economy. Team PacMar Technologies’ winning submission, integrates a rapidly installed breakwater (RIB) structure into an attenuating wave energy converter (WEC) that would generate power for UUV (unmanned underwater vehicles) charging while simultaneously creating a sheltered area for improved surface docking. This system will increase UUV mission durations using an autonomous recharging device for short-term deployment at locations of interest. The Ocean Observing Prize challenges innovators around the globe to integrate marine renewable energy with ocean observation platforms, ultimately revolutionizing our ability to collect the data needed to understand, map and monitor the ocean. “Our team was thrilled to hear we had been selected as winners in this competitive competition. This is a promising demonstration that our company is well-suited to address challenges in the field of marine renewable energy,” said Bradley Beeksma, Ocean Engineer. “PacMar Technologies is a world leader in the design of large inflatable drop-stitch structures, and the DISCOVER competition was a chance for our engineers to leverage that knowledge to advance the use of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for ocean exploration and sensing,” said Troy Keipper, Chief Operating Officer. PacMar Technologies is known for its innovation, in both technology and in business – and always strives for opportunities to use research, ideas and engineering to change the world. Learn more about the Ocean Observing Prize here . ​ About PacMar Technologies PacMar Technologies is a leading provider of innovative research and development services for the Department of Defense, NASA, and other government agencies. Historically a provider of naval architecture and modeling and simulation services, its portfolio has diversified to encompass digital twins, power and energy systems, unmanned vehicles, robotics, autonomy, AI/ML, data science, inflatables, composites, and additive manufacturing. Since its founding in Hawaii in 1979, PacMar Technologies has grown to open offices in Rhode Island, Maine, Virginia, Michigan, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. Article by Communication Staff » back

  • OUTREACH | PacMar Technologies

    OUTREACH Supporting our community through outreach will ignite the talent, ideas, and engagement in our field. We aim to inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and join us as we expand future possibilities. PacMar Technologies has developed two educational video games that encourage students to engage in creative decision making within real-world constraints and then test their designs in environments with realistic physics. We partner with professional societies and educational organizations to ensure that these programs are well supported with curricula and training materials for educators and parents. And we believe that incorporating these educational concepts into approachable mediums like video games will highlight the exciting areas of this field and entice young people to learn more. Robot X RobotX is an international marine robotics competition that allows university students worldwide to compete to develop the most successful autonomous surface vessel, exposing future innovators to complex robotics and autonomy problems while encouraging novel solutions. The students focus on navigation systems, environment sensing, and control algorithms that enable their vehicle to complete a variety of navigational courses and standard maneuvers such as docking. Challenges also include complex logistical problems such as deployment of autonomous underwater vehicles to recover submerged objects or aerial vehicles to make observations. Every team uses a common platform, the Wave Adapted Modular Vessel (WAM-V), which is stable and capable of carrying a high payload. By standardizing the platform, students can focus on the robotics and autonomy problems and delivery high-performance vehicles. Throughout the program, students also learn skills in program management, budgeting, fundraising, and leadership. PacMar Technologies is proud to provide logistical support for the at-sea challenge in Honolulu, Hawaii as well as provide software and modelling techniques that enable a biennial virtual competition. Fleet FLEET is a web-based science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition that is free to students worldwide. FLEET utilizes the youth-friendly model of gamification to engage high school students in naval ship design and enables them to apply the real-life applications of STEM. Working individually or on teams, students compete via a web-based platform to complete four different missions, and in the process address the same challenges in ship design and operation that professional naval architects consider on a daily basis. Lesson plans, schedules, and other resources are available to make this game accessible to a wide variety of age groups. This game and the associated program resources were developed in partnership with the American Society of Naval Engineers. To download the game, view lesson plans, or even talk to an educator about the program, contact the American Society of Naval Engineers.

  • Scott Yamashita | PacMar Technologies

    Scott Yamashita Director, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering – West Scott Yamashita is the Director of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering for the Western Region at PacMar Technologies. He oversees a staff of nine engineers supporting the research and design of various maritime technologies ranging from small boats, to larger vessels, to amphibious vehicles. Scott has 20 years of experience with PMT specializing in conceptual design, modeling and simulation, and prototype construction oversight of various technology demonstrators. Prior to joining PacMar Technologies, he worked for nine years as a civil engineer for a local firm where he earned his license as a professional engineer. Scott was born and raised in Hawaii and received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott Arizona. He is the co-inventor on several patents for marine technology. ​ » back Technical Experts

  • Wins $8 mil contract | PacMar Technologies

    PacMar Technologies Awarded $8m Navy Contract for Advanced Planing Hull Research ​ Article by Communications Staff Portland, ME — 6 August 2019 — PacMar Technologies LLC has been awarded an $8 million contract from the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR). The contract entitled “Advanced Planing Hull Research” focuses on pursuing new science and technology for safer hulls and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for fast boats. ​ PacMar Technologies will work directly with Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, ME, who will combine their “Built in Maine” composites experience with PacMar Technologies' research strength. Front Street Shipyard will build the PacMar Technologies prototypes and collaborate on testing at-sea. The science and technology advancements from this research will benefit all the Navy’s small craft programs. “Maine is home to the best shipbuilders in the world, and our state has long had an integral role in our national security. PacMar Technologies' engineering and research strength combined with Front Street Shipyard’s composites experience will benefit all of the Navy’s small-craft programs,” said Senator Collins. “As a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I strongly advocated for the funding that made this research possible and am so proud of the work PacMar Technologies and other Maine companies do to support our Navy and our nation’s defense.” This new contract will continue to build on the success of Maine’s historic leadership in the maritime field and revolutionize it for our digital and renewable energy age. Opportunities to collaborate with Maine maritime companies such as Front Street Shipyard were vital in supporting PacMar Technologies' Portland office, opened in 2018. Daniel Brunk, CEO of PacMar Technologies said, “Our company is so pleased to have been able to partner with the University of Maine and the State’s boat building ecosystem to address the Navy’s new challenges and needs.” JB Turner, president of Front Street Shipyard, said, “We believe our experience with advanced composite construction for boats will provide a key advantage to our Navy, and we are happy to team with PacMar Technologies to use our combined capabilities in this area through this new research program.” » back

  • CONTACT | PacMar Technologies

    Locations Honolulu, Main Office 841 Bishop St. Suite 1110 Honolulu, HI 96813 Michigan Office 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr. Lobby H, Suite H3300 PO Box 414 Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Bangor, Maine Office 80 Exchange St. Suite 500 Bangor, ME 04401 Kansas Office Wallace Hall 02A/02B, Wichita State University 1845 Fairmount St. Wichita, KS 67260 Portland, Maine Office 100 W. Commercial Street Building D Portland, ME 04102 Washington DC Office 4250 N. Fairfax Dr. Suite 600 Arlington, VA 22203 Hawaii, Pier 24 705 N Nimitz Hwy. Honolulu, HI 96817 Rhode Island Office 1080 Kingstown Rd. Building #5 South Kingstown, RI 02879 Contact Us MAIN OFFICE 841 Bishop St. • Suite 1110 • Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 contact@pacmartech.com • 808-695-6643 First Name Last Name Email Message Thanks for submitting! Send

  • ABOUT | PacMar Technologies

    ABOUT PacMar Technologies is a leader in developing cutting-edge solutions in the defense and maritime industries. Our company was founded in 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii with a focus on developing advanced ships to improve passenger ride quality, reduce operator injury, and improve hull efficiency. These engineering capabilities quickly led to innovations in hydrodynamic simulations, novel hull form designs, cutting edge motion control systems, and advanced marine prototype fabrication and testing. We’ve since grown into a diversified technology company with a national presence, leading the way in research, engineering, design, and innovation. We help our partners in the Department of Defense, academia, and other scientific fields – so our partners can guarantee national security and ensure reliable industry and commerce. We believe that the best solutions can only be developed through close collaboration with our clients, beginning by identifying core objectives. PacMar Technologies’ experts then collaborate with our partners to create cross-disciplinary solutions. The unique challenges associated with the harsh marine environment originally led us to seek inspiration for our work across diverse industries. Our successes continue to leverage non-traditional material science, novel manufacturing techniques, physics and machine learning modeling capabilities, artificial intelligence, and data science. We are a team of scientists and engineers who believe in finding solutions that don’t just innovate, but that spark lasting change. Our work enables the thousands of men and women in uniform to keep our country ahead of advancing global powers. We equip members of our military with the best technological solutions in the world, adhering to the core principles of science and applied engineering. We bring these principles to life through innovative software, comprehensive testing, full-scale technology demonstrations, and final products. We focus on the future, anticipate problems, and always deliver the right solution. Our mission is to convert research into products by leveraging emerging technologies and applying them to National problem sets with speed, trust, and expertise.

  • Palama Settlement Gift | PacMar Technologies

    Pacific Marine & Supply Company Celebrates its 80th Anniversary with $80,000 Donation to Palama Settlement for Preschools Article by Communications Staff Honolulu, HI - February 20, 2024 – In commemoration of its 80th Anniversary, Pacific Marine & Supply Company announced today a donation of $80,000 to Palama Settlement to build preschool classrooms. The new classrooms align with the state’s universal access to preschool initiative, Ready Keiki, which is being led by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke. Pacific Marine has also committed to work with Palama Settlement on additional funding needs to ensure that these classrooms come to fruition. Since its founding by Fred and Alyce Loui in 1944, the Honolulu company has been a cornerstone of innovation and project excellence across diverse industries and has remained a family-owned and managed enterprise. Throughout its history, Pacific Marine has been committed to giving back to the local community and inspiring the next generations of innovation, entrepreneurship, and building a strong local workforce. Each year, Pacific Marine has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous local non-profit organizations, with a strong focus on education and children. "Our company was built over the last eight decades on the foundation of dedicated service and a philosophy of building and supporting the local community,” said Steven Loui, Chairman & President of Pacific Marine & Supply Company. "It all begins with our keiki and we are so happy to be able to partner with Palama Settlement to build preschools right in the heart of Kalihi. When I learned about the Lieutenant Governor’s preschool program, I knew right away that we wanted to help give Hawaii’s children the right start and get them ready for success in school. Hopefully, to become Hawaii’s future engineers, inventors, leaders and even boat builders.” Currently, there are over 8,000 unserved preschool-aged children in Hawaii. The Ready Keiki initiative focuses on expanding preschool seats —both public and private—while increasing childcare subsidies and supporting the early childhood workforce. “These collaborative partnerships bring us closer to reaching our goal of universal access to preschool for Hawaii’s keiki,” said Lt. Gov. Luke. “The support from partners like Pacific Marine and Palama Settlement speaks to the multi-faceted approach of Ready Keiki, embracing community collaboration to serve more of our youngest learners.” Since the pandemic, Palama Settlement has seen an increase in participating families and community volunteer groups that help to produce community events, engage in programming, and assist in community service projects. “As Palama continues to grow, we want to make sure that our programs and services are relevant, inclusive and accessible to our families,” said Executive Director Sam Aiona. “Thanks to Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and donors like Steven Loui, our “Pālama Mamas” can rest assure that their toddlers will be ready for Elementary School through the new Family Learning Center, here, at Palama Settlement.” “Companies are about its people and we have been blessed,” continued Steven Loui. “As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on our journey with immense pride, knowing that our family of companies continues to thrive thanks to the dedication of our highly qualified managers and talented employees and the support of our customers, vendors and the Hawaii Community. So many people have supported us and we want to make sure the next generation is ready to continue to move Hawaii forward.” ​ About Pacific Marine & Supply Company : 841 Bishop St., Suite 1110 Honolulu, HI 96813 Pacmarhawaii.com Pacific Marine & Supply Company, headquartered in Honolulu, has been a leading force in Hawaii's economy since 1944. Specializing in defense, maritime transportation, construction, tourism, and technology R&D, the company fosters innovation and excellence across its family of subsidiaries including PacMar Technologies, Pacific Shipyards International, HSI Mechanical, SEABLADE, FLS Composites, Hull Scientific Research, and CAP Insurance Co. Inc. For more information about Pacific Marine & Supply Company and its subsidiaries, visit pacmarhawaii.com or contact us at info@pacmarhawaii.com or 808-848-6333. ​ About Palama Settlement : 810 N. Vineyard Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96817 Palamasettlement.org Established in 1896, Palama Settlement is a nonprofit, community-based social service agency serving the Kalihi and Pālama neighborhoods. Palama offers a wide range of educational, recreational, cultural, social, health and community-building programs and services for children, youth, adults and senior citizens. Palama Settlement’s mission is to partner with those who have the greatest need in the community, empowering them to enhance their well-being through health, education, and recreation. For more information about Palama Settlement, visit palamasettlement.org or contact us at info@palamasettlement.org . » back

  • Zensho Heshiki | PacMar Technologies

    Zensho Heshiki Director, Mechanical Engineering – West Zensho Heshiki is the Director of Mechanical Engineering for the Western Region at PacMar Technologies. He oversees a team of talented engineers working together to solve complex mechanical problems unique to the ocean environment. Prior to working at PMT, Zensho worked at the University of Hawaii Engineering Support Facility, designing mechanical systems for various deep ocean research programs. Programs ranged from an underwater ocean observatory to deep sea fish traps. After that, he worked as a naval architect in Sydney, Australia. Here, his duties included hydrostatic stability analyses, conducting ship-inclining experiments, and structural FEA of the Royal Australian Navy’s DDGs. He has been an integral part of PMT since 2013, contributing significantly to US Navy, ONR, and DARPA projects. Zensho was born and raised in Hawaii. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hawaii and a bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture at the University of New South Wales. ​ » back Technical Experts

  • PacMar Wins DARPA | PacMar Technologies

    PacMar Technologies Wins DARPA Phase 2 Award for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Article by Communications Staff Honolulu, HI – 22 FEB 2022 – The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded PacMar Technologies (PMT) a $54.8 million contract for Phase 2 of the Manta Ray program. The program funds research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies allowing payload-capable autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to operate on long-duration, long-range missions in ocean environments. The program funds work at various PMT locations including Hawaii, Maine, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. Picture above: Artist’s concept of Manta Ray UUV. Image credit: DARPA Public Affairs. During this phase of the Manta Ray program, PMT will assemble and demonstrate a vehicle that incorporates novel energy management techniques for UUV operations; low-power, high efficiency undersea propulsion systems; mission management approaches for extended durations while accounting for dynamic maritime environments; and new approaches to mitigate biofouling, corrosion, and other material degradation for long duration missions. “PacMar Technologies’ conceptual and design efforts in Phase 1 of DARPA’s Manta Ray program will now advance into Phase 2, which concludes with full-scale at-sea demonstrations,” said CDR Kyle Woerner, the DARPA Program Manager for Manta Ray. “Building and testing this full-scale, integrated Manta Ray system will convincingly demonstrate that DARPA has ‘redefined possible’ for undersea vehicles.” “We are excited to continue our work on Manta Ray into Phase 2. This is an incredible opportunity for a small business with great partners to disrupt the large UUV space. This is also a great win for continuing high technology maritime focused research and development in Hawaii,” Dan Brunk , Chief Executive Officer, PMT. “DARPA programs are known to be difficult because they are looking for transformational change and not just incremental improvement. This program pushes the limits of underwater vehicle technology and autonomy in several new directions. We are extremely lucky to have assembled through the years an excellent team of engineers and scientists, both internally and with our partners on this program, enabling us to compete against companies 100 times our size. As a Honolulu based company, we have a unique perspective that leads to advantages for conducting this type of research” said Brian Kays , Vice President of Platform Design, PMT. Key subcontractors to PMT on this program include the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington (APL-UW) which has expertise in unmanned underwater vehicle autonomy and controls; North Carolina State University (NCSU) which has expertise in underwater energy harvesting; Systems & Technology Research (STR) which has expertise in undersea systems operations, sensors, communications, and signal processing, and Areté which has expertise in physical oceanography and marine sensor applications. “We are excited to contribute to this program, with technical contributions from our Arlington, Woburn, and San Diego offices. The PMT relationship during the Phase 1 effort has been exceedingly collaborative and effective in solving design issues enabling the project to move into the Phase 2 vehicle development effort,” E. Scott Stickels, Chief Scientist for Undersea Systems, STR. About PacMar Technologies PacMar Technologies (PMT) is the leading provider of innovative research and product development. Our team of engineers have deep technical knowledge allowing them to solve complex problem sets. Since its founding in Hawaii in 1979, PMT has a long history of naval architecture design and analysis, and has grown to open offices in Rhode Island, Maine, Virginia, Michigan, South Carolina, and Kansas. ​ » ba ck

  • xTechPacific Competition | PacMar Technologies

    PacMar Technologies One of 10 Winners of U.S. Army xTechPacific Competition Article by Communications Staff Honolulu, Hawaii — October 3, 2023 — PacMar Technologies is pleased to announce that we are one of 10 winners of the U.S. Army xTechPacific Competition, an open-topic prize competition focused on supporting the U.S. military’s long-distance capabilities across the Indo-Pacific region. Sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, and in collaboration with the U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, the competition sought innovative small business solutions prioritizing climate and sustainment, communications, the Internet of Things, sensing and intelligence, and supply-chain logistics to improve soldier effectiveness o verseas. “Each of these winners proved their ability to address this challenge and will help diversify the Army’s approach to research and development,” said Dr. Matt Willis, director of the Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program. Using PacMar Technologies’ deep knowle dge of marine vehicles and expertise in autonomy, our engineers conceived an autonomous transport sled to ensure rapid resupply of material and aid. This transport sled addresses a daunting problem for the Army known as the “Tyranny of Distance,” which has vexed military strategists since the dawn of conflict where the U.S. is often fighting wars in areas thousands of miles from U.S. shores. This distance lessens military strength and increases the cost of conflicts. Our autonomous transport sled tackles this challenge head-on, also addressing the Army’s capability gap and technology viability. “We are thrilled to be selected a winner and proud of our employees’ dedication in this competition to assist the U.S. Army, said Dan Brunk, CEO of PacMar Technologies. “We look forward to submitting our Direct to Phase II proposal and continuing to build a strong relationship with the Army. Helping our Department of Defense partners drives our passion to research and develop cutting-edge technologies to help them solve complex problems.” During the competition’s rounds, businesses received up to $25,000 in cash prizes following several capability pitches to a panel of Army technologists, scientists, engineers and acquisition experts. Winners of xTechPacific can now apply for a Phase I Army SBIR contract worth up to $250,000 or a Direct to Phase II contract valued at up to $1.9million. » back

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