Fleet Robotics’ hull-cleaning robot walks large ships on magnetic legs

Northeastern University announced on October 14, 2026, that Timothy Wong worked on developing a robot to remove fouling from large ships’ hulls during a six-month co-op at Fleet Robotics. The robot is about 1 meter long and 60 centimeters wide. Its legs, equipped with switchable magnets, attach it to the hull, and it moves by alternately lifting its legs in a walking motion. It is designed to remove biofouling, including algae, barnacles, mollusks and seaweed, with the aim of reducing drag while ships are underway.

According to Northeastern University, biofouling costs the U.S. shipping industry up to $36 billion a year in fuel and antifouling paint. If the idea of using permanently installed robots for hull cleaning proves practical, it could reduce both costs and drag during operations.

The focus is not simply on an aid to cleaning, but on a movement system designed for a robot that remains installed on the hull and cleans it regularly. A device about 1 meter long and 60 centimeters wide that “walks” across the hull using switchable magnets and legs differs from conventional approaches in that it targets preventive maintenance while underway, rather than deep cleaning in port. The robot’s size and concept have been described, but there is still limited information on how much area it can clean and in what time, how well it removes different types of growth, and whether it affects the coating. Our related story, A robot that sprays liquid nitrogen to fight wildfires developed by U.S. university, showed Northeastern University researchers taking robots into challenging real-world conditions. This announcement also specifies an environment exposed to pressure changes equivalent to being 40 meters underwater, as well as turbulence, pointing to a shift from laboratory prototypes to field testing. The earlier robot was designed for firefighting, while this one is for hull cleaning; their applications differ despite being developed at the same university. What they have in common appears to be a focus on establishing reliability in real-world conditions, rather than simply replacing people in dangerous or harsh environments. In terms of industry structure, this robot shifts hull-fouling removal from a single, large-scale job in port toward continuous operation using compact equipment permanently installed aboard a ship. That would make the value depend not only on the robot’s performance but also on magnetic hold, brush control that avoids damaging paint, underwater localization and a docking mechanism for recharging. The annual cost of up to $36 billion cited by Sofar also shows that adoption will depend on whether the robot can deliver both fuel savings and coating preservation. Points to watch include operating rates on actual ships, cleaning frequency, any coating damage and effectiveness in limiting the spread of invasive species.

According to the university, Wong began working at Fleet Robotics as a mechanical and validation engineer in January 2026, and his six-month co-op ended in June 2026. Early in development, he checked how the robot behaved on paint and hull coatings. He later tested brushes and cleaning methods and ultimately helped design a compliance system to coordinate the movements of multiple robots. Fleet Robotics says the robot uses legs and magnets to “walk” across the hull surface rather than relying on conventional wheels, and returns to a docking station when it needs to recharge. The company also said it conducted tests on an actual ship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Northeastern said the U.S. shipping industry incurs up to $36 billion a year in fuel and antifouling paint costs to address biofouling.

For Japan’s shipbuilding and shipping industries, the relationship between hull coatings and cleaning is likely to be a key issue. Whether the robot can clean continuously without damaging paint has direct implications for hull-coating design and maintenance procedures.