Hasn’t anyone does this before?
Previous efforts of others on modular approach are not sufficient for what we are trying to solve, namely in-the-field assembly of cylindrical vehicles.
MMT by U.S. Army since 2015, is an undertaking for modular missiles. It shares many of our goals, such as:
- reducing barriers to entry
- hinder vendor lock
- distributed design and manufacturing
- multiple variants of vehicles, reusing previous components
However the MMT program is applicable only to guided missiles for U.S. military services, specifically 2.75-inch diameter. Additionally, the MMT program is focused on missile assembly at factory level, not for plug-and-play assembly by soldiers in the field.
Gavia by Teledyne Marine, is a modular autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV, or unmanned robot submarine). It also shares many of our goals:
- rapid reconfiguration
- energy source replacement
However, the Gavia system is a proprietary in-house system. Additionally, the Gavia system is only for AUV vehicles. Any field operations require a special setup of equipment, including an assembly bracket of the same length as the combined vehicle.
MOSA by U.S. Department Of Defense, is a reference framework on modular open system approach, aimed at more economical acquisitions of electronic components.
UGST by Russia, is a semi-modular torpedo, allowing for changes of interior components, such as sections of guidance, warhead, fuel tank, power plant and tail.
SeaHake mod4 by Atlas Elektronik, is a torpedo with modular battery system.
Aren’t you violating any patents?
The patents that most resemble our work, are not impeded by Modulina:
Raytheon Technologies, “Modular missile and method of assembly” (2001) US6568330B1, [EXPIRED], US20030097951A1, [EXPIRED]
U.S. Department of Navy, “Missile adaptation kit assembly” (1964) US4051414A [EXPIRED]