BRUNSWICK

Eric Bleicken, President of Griffin LLC, based out of Tech Place at Brunswick Landing, has been awarded a patent for a new submarine propulsion system.

With more than 20 issued patents under his belt, Bleicken envisions this propulsion system as a way to move special operations teams in a quiet, dry and sustainable manner.

The submersible design involves propulsor blades that encircle the hull of the vessel. Bleicken said in normal propeller design, only the outer tips of the props provide the force that moves the vessel. With Bleicken’s design, the entire system acts like the tips of propellers, allowing for movement in all directions as well as hovering in place.

Currently, special operators like SEALs have to use underwater transport in wet conditions while taking in oxygen through tanks. Bleicken’s design will allow for dry transportation of personnel in an environment that will allow them to remain submerged for several days as opposed to a few hours.

Bleicken’s patent came from a 2009 Maine Technology Institute Seed Grant and Griffin LLC is now in the works with the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s Ocean Engineering Laboratory to put his propulsion ideas to the test.

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