Gulf of Mexico Ocean Monitoring: 160 Profiles in 49 Days
Gulf of Mexico Ocean Monitoring: 160 Profiles in 49 Days and Counting
In just 49 days, Seatrec’s autonomous infiniTE™ float has successfully completed 160 profiles, powered entirely by the ocean’s temperature differences. Built for endurance, the float continues to dive, surface, and transmit real-time data without a single battery swap. This proves how thermal energy harvesting enables truly persistent ocean monitoring in one of the world’s most dynamic marine environments.
Mission Success in the Gulf
Deployed in the northeastern Gulf, south of Destin, Florida, the float has been transmitting continuous data below the surface. This information provides critical insight for understanding this region.
By the Numbers
- Profiles: 160 reaching depths of up to 800 meters
- Energy: 1.241 megajoules of thermal energy generated from the ocean
- Data: Real-time data transmitted after each surfacing
- Trajectory: Drifted hundreds of kilometers to the southwest
What the Float Does
Every eight hours, the float collects CTD and acoustic data, surfaces, and transmits results.
- CTD sensor: Measures conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth—revealing how heat and water masses
layer beneath the surface. These are key inputs for ocean and climate models. - Hydrophone: Records underwater soundscapes, with onboard processing of the recorded data to reduce file size for real-time transmission via satellite.
All of this is powered by Seatrec’s patented thermal energy harvesting system, which converts the temperature differences between surface and deep water into electricity.
Power Generation: Seatrec’s patented technology uses phase-change materials (PCMs) that transition from solid to liquid (SL). When PCMs experience temperature changes, they undergo a phase transition and change volume. This volume change drives a motor through pressurized fluid, converting hydraulic energy into electricity. During the warming phase (left), the contained working substance changes from solid to liquid, expands, and generates pressure that forces hydraulic oil through a generator to produce electrical energy. During the cooling phase (right), the working substance freezes and contracts.
Record Atlantic Hurricane Season, Quiet Gulf Waters, But Much to Listen to
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been one of the most active on record, with 13 named storms, four major hurricanes, and three Category 5 systems. Hurricane Melissa became one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.
Yet the Gulf of Mexico has remained unusually quiet. While our float hasn’t yet profiled Gulf waters during an active hurricane, it is building the baseline subsurface thermal data that forecasters need before the next storm forms.
The Rapid Intensification Challenge
This year underscored a growing forecasting challenge: rapid intensification — the explosive strengthening of storms fueled by ocean heat. Three Category 5 hurricanes formed this season, each undergoing rapid strengthening that caught forecasters and communities off guard.
Hurricane Melissa exemplified this trend. According to National Hurricane Center advisories, Melissa intensified from a tropical storm to a 140 mph Category 4 in roughly 24 hours, then continued to 175 mph Category 5 strength with a minimum pressure of 906 millibars, making landfall in Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded. Hurricanes Erin and Humberto also showed similar surges, driven by ocean heat content.
Ocean Heat: The Hidden Fuel
Rapid intensification requires specific conditions:
- High humidity
- Low wind shear
- Deep pools of warm water
It is not just surface temperature that matters; it is how deep that warmth extends. A hurricane moving over high ocean heat content taps into a massive energy reservoir, enabling the explosive strengthening that makes these storms so dangerous.
Why This Float’s Data Matters
Understanding where and when these pools of warm water exist is essential for forecasting rapid intensification. Traditional ship-based surveys cannot provide continuous coverage, and satellites only measure surface temperature. That is where autonomous floats like Seatrec’s become invaluable. Profiling temperature and salinity to 800 meters every eight hours, our infiniTE™ float maps the three-dimensional heat structure of the Gulf — the hidden energy that fuels storms.
These data will help researchers:
- Identify regions of high ocean heat content where rapid intensification is most likely
- Understand seasonal and interannual variability in Gulf heat content
- Validate and improve hurricane forecast models
As forecasters aim to improve rapid-intensification predictions by even 5–7 percent, this type of continuous data collection will be essential.
Partner With Us
Whether major storms arrive this year or not, Seatrec is delivering on its promise: autonomous, self-powered ocean monitoring that provides continuous data for better forecasts, deeper understanding, and more effective conservation.
We are always seeking collaborators interested in:
- Hurricane rapid-intensification research
- Gulf soundscape ecology and marine-mammal behavior
- Long-duration autonomous sensing in the region
Interested in accessing data or deploying similar technology for your research? Contact us at info@seatrec.com.
Seatrec and NPS announce a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)
Seatrec and Naval Postgraduate School to Cooperate on Research and Development of Platform to Provide Persistent, Real-Time Underwater Sound Data
The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) opens the door to continuing at-sea research, integrated operations, and the education of military officers about Seatrec’s innovative technology that powers energy-hungry acoustic sensors previously impossible to deploy autonomously for long periods
Seatrec, a leader in thermal-powered subsea drones, and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) today announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) covering an innovative robot profiling float that provides continuous, real-time oceanographic and acoustic data in open ocean environments, called the Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP).
“PSAP transforms how the Navy gathers acoustic data in remote or difficult-to-access areas by freeing profiling floats equipped with high-end sensors from ship support, using the ocean’s natural temperature differences to generate power,” explained Yi Chao, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Seatrec. “Deepening our collaboration with NPS and the Navy accelerates research and development and marks an important step in maturing this platform.”
The U.S. Navy uses sound to “see” underwater, but high energy demands make long-term autonomous acoustic sensing impossible without costly ship support. Seatrec’s technology enables PSAPs to use ocean’s natural temperature differences to generate electricity, powering sensors for extended missions in remote waters without ships or human intervention.
The CRADA between Seatrec and NPS will advance:
- Access to NPS expertise and Seatrec technology to accelerate at-sea research
- Integration of PSAP capabilities into Navy and NPS operations
- Education of military officers on new tools and applications for persistent, real-time acoustic monitoring
“The first phase of development on PSAP with Seatrec yielded a breakthrough in the ability to collect real-time acoustic data for extended durations in remote areas without the cost and logistical burden of ship support,” says John Joseph, the principal investigator and faculty associate for research at the Naval Postgraduate School. “We are committed to advancing the system in this next phase of cooperative research to further experiment and refine PSAP’s advanced capabilities and operational applications to meet the unique needs of the U.S. Navy.”
PSAP is engineered for persistent undersea awareness by harvesting energy from ocean thermal gradients through solid-to-liquid phase transitions, allowing operation for extended periods without external power.
Equipped with onboard data processing, the PSAP transforms raw acoustic signals collected by passive hydrophones into concise information messages, which can be efficiently transmitted to command centers located on land or at sea. Its two-way communication capabilities allow remote operators to dynamically adjust mission parameters in response to evolving environmental conditions and operational needs.
Conducting ongoing real-world testing in the open ocean will allow Seatrec and the NPS to optimize the system’s performance across its three core functions: passive acoustic listening and signal processing, energy harvesting for extended endurance, and near real-time data transmission.
This news comes on the heels of Seatrec’s recent announcement that it will manufacture profiling floats for Argo - the international program to monitor the health of the global ocean.
About Seatrec
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients. Our products empower defense and oceanographic researchers to extend mission durations, optimize data collection, and reduce operational costs. By enabling the integration of advanced sensors previously limited in endurance and functionality, such as hydrophones, we open new possibilities for ocean science. Seatrec’s energy harvesting core technology was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and spun out of the California Institute of Technology in 2016. Seatrec is headquartered in Vista, California. Visit us at seatrec.com.
About the Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is a defense-focused graduate university offering master’s and doctoral degrees in fields of study core to Naval-unique needs, the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD civilians and international partners. For information, visit: nps.edu.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Seatrec, Inc.
marta.bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 (415) 816-1665
First Hydrophone-Equipped Float Deployed in the Gulf of Mexico
Advancing hurricane forecasts and protecting Rice’s whales
Last week, we deployed our latest infiniTE™ Float off the coast of Florida—the first of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico to carry both a CTD sensor and a hydrophone (an underwater microphone). A CTD sensor measures conductivity (to calculate salinity), temperature, and depth, providing a detailed view of how warm water is distributed below the surface. That subsurface heat can fuel hurricanes to strengthen quickly. Satellites capture only surface conditions, but they cannot detect the deeper layers of warm water linked to rapid intensification. As tropical storms approach the Gulf, the float will profile subsurface layers every six hours, providing data to help improve intensity forecasts. At the same time, the hydrophone will collect acoustic information for soundscape monitoring to support marine conservation, particularly for the critically endangered Rice's whales.
Building on success in Hawai'i and expanding partnerships
This summer, our Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP)—a SEATREC infiniTE™ Float developed in collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)—reached a milestone of 1,000 dives to depths of 700 meters.
Launched off the coast of Kona, Hawai‘i in November 2024, the PSAP carried a CTD sensor and a passive acoustic hydrophone, processed data onboard, and transmitted results in real time. Powered entirely by SEATREC’s patented thermal energy harvesting system, it generated more electricity than it consumed, harvesting over 10 megajoules (2,800 Wh) in just seven months—more than twice the energy of a conventional battery-powered float.
NPS’s interest in this effort was clear. Persistent, real-time ocean intelligence is critical for missions such as undersea warfare and maritime domain awareness, and the PSAP platform demonstrated that it could deliver both oceanographic and acoustic data without relying on external assets. It also provided valuable datasets for METOC program students, linking applied research with Navy readiness.
The success of PSAP in Hawai‘i validated the endurance and self-powering capability of the platform. It also proved that long-term, multi-sensor ocean monitoring is achievable. With that foundation in place, our next step was to expand the mission into the Gulf of Mexico, where hurricane intensification and the habitat of the Rice’s whales present urgent challenges for science, conservation, and coastal resilience
What makes this float different
Building on the PSAP's design, this infiniTE™ Float carries a suite of sensors and capabilities tailored to both hurricane forecasting and marine life monitoring:
- CTD sensor — measures conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth to profile ocean conditions throughout hurricane season
- Hydrophone with onboard processing — captures and analyzes underwater soundscapes in near real time
- Remote reconfiguration — allows the system to focus on detecting Rice’s whale vocalizations for targeted acoustic tracking within their federally designated critical habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Diving deep, surfacing more frequently
Every six hours, the float dives to as deep as 800 meters, collects data, and resurfaces to transmit a snapshot of the ocean’s physical state. The data reveal how warm water is layered below the surface—conditions linked to rapid hurricane intensification. Each profile adds new observations of the Gulf’s subsurface and provides inputs that forecasters can use in intensity models.
Why it matters
This mission bridges science, technology, and conservation:
- For coastal communities: better hurricane forecasts and more lead time to prepare.
- For researchers: more oceanographic data that deepens understanding of ocean-atmosphere interactions.
- For marine life: acoustic monitoring that supports conservation of critically endangered species such as Rice’s whales.
SEATREC’s vision is to harvest the ocean’s natural energy gradients to power smarter, longer-lasting ocean drones and power systems. This deployment in the Gulf is another step toward that future
Follow along
We’ll be sharing more from this mission as the float continues its journey. Stay tuned as real-time ocean data shape the way we forecast hurricanes and protect marine life.
Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Float Surpasses 1,000 Dives for Naval Postgraduate School
Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Float Surpasses 1,000 Dives for Naval Postgraduate School - Ushering a New Era of Long-Endurance Persistent Ocean Monitoring
Autonomous profiling float delivers oceanographic and acoustic data every six hours, fully powered by harvested energy from temperature gradients, marking a breakthrough in persistent, long-endurance ocean monitoring and real-time reporting for defense, scientific research, and exploration
Seatrec, a leader in thermal-powered subsea drones, today announced a major milestone in oceanographic research with the 1,000th dive completed by its infiniTE™ float, deployed off the coast of Kona, Hawai’i, in collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The float reached depths of 700 meters, diving into the deep sound channel for optimal listening, while producing more electricity than it consumed. The first-of-its-kind, an ocean-powered float carries a passive acoustic hydrophone, records sound data, processes data onboard, and transmits information and intelligence in real-time.
“Reaching 1,000 profiles is a critical endurance benchmark for our technology that unlocks exciting opportunities in ocean research and exploration,” explained Yi Chao, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Seatrec. “It is a significant achievement to demonstrate the capabilities of our infiniTE™ float to power multiple sensors with the energy from the ocean rather than relying on a limited battery.”
Launched on November 5, 2024, in collaboration with the NPS and funded by NPS’s Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER) program, this pioneering float known as the Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP) has harvested over 10 megajoules (2,800 Wh) of clean, renewable energy using Seatrec’s patented infiniTE™ technology, which converts natural ocean temperature gradients into electricity. Over just seven months, the infiniTE™ float has generated 2x the energy of a conventional battery-powered float while maintaining a net-positive energy balance. The harvested energy powers a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensor and a passive acoustic hydrophone, onboard data processing, and satellite data transmissions, ushering in a new era of long-endurance, persistent ocean float missions.
NPS’s mission is to deliver defense-focused graduate education and interdisciplinary research to enhance the Navy’s operational effectiveness and technological leadership. “Through the Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) program, NPS drives impactful results via innovative research and technology co-development. Our METOC student, Lieutenant Kirk Bienvenu, is analyzing PSAP data in his master’s thesis to advance maritime intelligence. By collaborating with startups like Seatrec, NPS equips officers with skills to address complex global threats, ensuring Navy readiness in dynamic operational theaters,” said John Joseph, the principal investigator and faculty associate for research at the Naval Postgraduate School.
PSAP represents an innovative way to collect and transmit oceanographic and underwater acoustic information essential to supporting critical Navy mission areas, including Undersea Warfare, Seabed Warfare, ISR and Maritime Domain Awareness. “Operating independently of other theater assets, PSAP provides a real-time feed of critical information directly to the warfighter, enhancing their tactical decision making,” Joseph said.
By combining a CTD sensor with a hydrophone, the infiniTE™ float enables simultaneous monitoring of both the ocean’s physical properties and acoustic soundscape. This breakthrough marks a turning point for persistent long-endurance, multi-sensor ocean observing missions once limited by battery constraints.
This milestone adds to a series of recent achievements by Seatrec, including:
- Selection by Sea-Bird Scientific as the exclusive manufacturer of the Navis floats for the international Argo program.
- A successful Arctic Power Station test at Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes facility.
- Recognition as a winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Powering the Blue Economy™: Power at Sea Prize.
As the infiniTE™ float continues to demonstrate unmatched endurance and modularity, Seatrec is accelerating its vision to deliver scalable, self-powered solutions for defense, researchers, government agencies, and industry partners operating across the world’s oceans.
About Seatrec
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients. Our products empower defense and oceanographic researchers to extend mission durations, optimize data collection, and reduce operational costs. By enabling the integration of advanced sensors previously limited in endurance and functionality, such as hydrophones, we open new possibilities for ocean science. Seatrec’s energy harvesting core technology was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and spun out of the California Institute of Technology in 2016. Seatrec is headquartered in Vista, California. Visit us at seatrec.com.
About the Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is a defense-focused graduate university offering master’s and doctoral degrees in fields of study core to Naval-unique needs, the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD civilians and international partners. For information, visit: nps.edu.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Seatrec, Inc.
marta.bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 (415) 816-1665
Seatrec Unlocks Unlimited Power in the Strategic Arctic with Successful Field Tests at Great Lakes Research Center’s Frozen Marine Testbed
Seatrec Unlocks Unlimited Power in the Strategic Arctic with Successful Field Tests at Great Lakes Research Center’s Frozen Marine Testbed
The first-of-its-kind Arctic Power Station that uses temperature differences in the environment to create electricity completed a month-long field test where it was deployed, operated, and recovered in harsh winter conditions ranging from blizzards and subfreezing temperatures to sunshine
VISTA, Calif. (June 11, 2025) – Seatrec, the renewable energy company that harvests energy from temperature differences in the environment, today announced the successful field test of its first-of-its-kind Arctic Power Station (APS) that creates electricity using temperature differences in the environment. The month-long field test was conducted at Michigan Technological University’s (MTU) Great Lakes Research Center’s (GLRC) Frozen Marine Testbed and saw the APS successfully deployed, operated, and recovered in harsh winter conditions ranging from blizzards and subfreezing temperatures to sunshine.
“The Arctic’s remoteness and harsh environment make transporting generators and batteries cumbersome and expensive, even as the region’s strategic and research importance grows with the changing climate,” explains Yi Chao, Ph.D., Seatrec’s CEO and founder. “The technology to create unlimited, clean power from natural temperature differences in the environment unlocks exciting possibilities across industry, defense, and research in this vital region.”
Lake Superior’s vast, frigid waters, powerful storms, and seasonal ice cover mirror, in several key ways, the extreme conditions of the far north, making it a natural test bed for Arctic research. Its unique environment offers a rare opportunity to explore extreme cold weather conditions and the resilience of ecosystems in a setting that echoes the challenges of the Arctic—no expedition to the pole required.
“With harsh winter temperatures often dropping well below freezing, along with the vast waters and extensive ice cover of Lake Superior, our region provides an unparalleled testbed for Arctic technologies,” said Pengfei Xue, Professor of Water Resources and Associate Director of GLRC. “By leveraging our Frozen Marine Testbed, we offer an exceptional environment to validate technologies like Seatrec’s power station in an accessible yet Arctic-like environment, reducing risks before deployment in the high Arctic.”
GLRC’s team also facilitated a pre-deployment design review to help Seatrec optimize the system for survivability in Great Lakes winter conditions. They also assisted with shipping logistics and freight receiving and hosted Seatrec’s engineers on-site with full access to workshop space, tools, and technical staff.
The APS was deployed on GLRC’s seasonally frozen pier within its deep-water takeout well, with additional infrastructure provided for power and network connections. Throughout the test, GLRC engineers supported routine system maintenance, monitored environmental conditions, and provided boots-on-the-ground troubleshooting to ensure smooth operation and documentation. Simultaneously, the Seatrec team monitored the system’s performance remotely from its California-based headquarters. Additionally, GLRC’s expertise in ice safety and winter field operations helped Seatrec’s team gain hands-on experience while they were onsite in Houghton, Michigan, to prepare for future Arctic deployments.
GLRC also supported project collaborators from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in conducting a demonstration and test of the APS’s ability to power a suite of ocean sensors—including underwater hydrophones, an omnidirectional sound source, and a cryophone on top of the ice. The test proceeded flawlessly, with no interruptions or evidence of electrical interference in the data. NPS researchers recorded sounds of personnel walking on the ice at various times, passing snowmobiles, and holes being drilled through the ice by the research team, along with several curious, unidentified sounds that are still under review.
Through rigorous testing in a challenging, real-world environment, the Seatrec team was able to advance the APS prototype's technology readiness level in preparation for future Arctic deployments.
“We enjoyed working with Seatrec’s team and their novel marine energy harvesting technology,” said Travis White, Research Engineer and Test Support Manager. “We’re glad we could help them validate their system in a real-world environment and prepare for next year’s Arctic deployment. We wish them success in that endeavor and look forward to seeing the next iteration of their technology.”
About Seatrec
Seatrec designs and manufactures energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from naturally occurring temperature differences in ocean waters. This renewable energy can be used to power deep water oceanographic research equipment such as floats, gliders, and autonomous underwater vehicles, resulting in the most scalable, cost-effective deep ocean data collection possible. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
About Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center’s Frozen Marine Testbed
Over the past decade, GLRC’s Frozen Marine Testbed has supported a wide range of Arctic-domain research—from sensor and energy technology development to under-ice autonomy and physical ocean science—making it the go-to site for organizations seeking accessible, cost-effective winter test conditions. This enduring commitment to advancing polar research not only strengthens individual projects but also fosters collaborative innovation for future Arctic and Antarctic endeavors.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Marta.Bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 415.816.1665
Seatrec Wins Exclusive License from Sea-Bird Scientific to Manufacture Floats for Argo to Monitor the Global Ocean
Seatrec Wins Exclusive License from Sea-Bird Scientific to Manufacture Floats for Argo - An International Program to Monitor the Global Ocean
Seatrec selected in competitive RFP for its revolutionary advancement in ocean monitoring capabilities with its sustainable and renewable energy harvesting system
VISTA, Calif. (May 8, 2025) Seatrec, an underwater drone company, and Sea-Bird Scientific, a leading provider of oceanographic sensors and instrumentation, today announced an exclusive licensing agreement that Seatrec will manufacture Sea-Bird Scientific’s Navis floats for Argo, an international program to monitor the global ocean.
"Our mission is to monitor the ocean on a global scale,” explained Yi Chao, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Seatrec. “This agreement with Sea-Bird makes Seatrec a key provider of autonomous profiling floats to the international Argo program, especially with biogeochemical (BGC) sensors to monitor ocean ecosystems and health."
Under the terms of the agreement, Seatrec will receive exclusive rights to manufacture Sea-Bird Scientific’s Navis float product line. This strategic partnership is expected to combine the strong sensor expertise at Sea-Bird Scientific and the innovative float platform at Seatrec to provide continuous support to the international Argo Program and open new market opportunities that benefit both companies.
"This collaboration with Seatrec represents a significant step in our commitment to providing best-in-class oceanographic sensor solutions," said Jessica Pounds, President of Sea-Bird Scientific. “As we continue to focus on driving innovation in sensors and instrumentation for the entire oceanographic community, we look forward to our partnership with Seatrec to deliver industry-leading float technology to support the emerging BGC Argo Program.”
Seatrec, a dual-use deep tech startup, is the leader in the temperature-powered infiniTE™ float. Powered by a patented technology that harvests energy from ocean temperature differences, the infiniTE™ float can increase ocean data collection by up to 40 times (reducing the Argo float sampling interval of 10 days to every six hours) compared to traditional battery-powered floats, opening new possibilities for power-intensive sensors such as passive acoustic hydrophones for soundscape monitoring, addressing critical challenges in ocean science and defense applications.
Seatrec expects to take purchase orders of Navis floats in early 2026 and begin rolling out the fully integrated Navis floats with customer-requested sensors by late 2026.
About Seatrec
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients. Our products empower oceanographic researchers to extend mission durations, optimize data collection, and reduce costs. By enabling the integration of advanced sensors previously limited by power constraints, such as hydrophones, we unlock new possibilities for ocean science. The core technology was developed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Seatrec was incorporated in 2016 as a spinoff from the California Institute of Technology. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at seatrec.com.
About Sea-Bird Scientific
Sea-Bird Scientific exists to help scientists know the world — and shape policy that changes it for the better. As one of the global leaders in oceanographic instrumentation, their customers work on the leading edge of ocean science. Their results break the frontiers of what we know about natural waters and contribute to our understanding of climate change, ecosystem health, and more. From optical sensors to observational systems, they possess an expansive portfolio of accurate instrumentation that ensures we are powering science-based decisions for a better ocean. The company is based in Bellevue, Washington. Visit us at www.seabird.com.
Media Contacts:
Marta Bulaich
Seatrec + Naval Postgraduate School Achieve Historic First by Collecting Acoustic Data in Real-Time with Underwater Drones
Seatrec + Naval Postgraduate School Achieve Historic First by Collecting Acoustic Data in Real-Time with Underwater Drones
Hydrophone-equipped underwater drones powered by the ocean’s temperature differences deployed off the coast of Hawaii to provide persistent monitoring of natural and man-made soundscape
VISTA, Calif. – WEBWIRE – Wednesday, January 29, 2025. Seatrec and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) today announced the first-ever collection of acoustic data in real-time by underwater drones, also known as autonomous profiling floats, completely powered by the energy harvested from the temperature differences in the ocean. The data capture was made off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, by the Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP) Voyager. Seatrec designed and built the first PSAP Voyager with the unprecedented ability to create its own electricity to power the robust onboard computing capabilities needed to process the large data recorded by a passive acoustic hydrophone used to detect sounds underwater.
The new PSAP Voyager’s ability to generate power leapfrogs previous generations of autonomous profiling floats that are limited by battery power and enables acoustic data to be collected in real-time anywhere in the world’s oceans nearly indefinitely.
“Sound is used to “see” underwater and is vital to understanding the ocean and monitoring the movement of natural and man-made objects,” explains Yi Chao, Ph.D., Seatrec’s CEO and Founder. “Previously hydrophones required power from expensive underwater cables from shore or ships but our PSAP Voyager untethers hydrophones and provides nearly unlimited persistent monitoring of the ocean in an extremely economical way.”
Traditional hydrophones are positioned at depth, often within the SOFAR (SOund Fixing And Ranging) channel, where the sound speed is minimal. Sound is trapped within this SOFAR channel by refraction and can travel over great distances. Hydrophones can be lowered into the SOFAR channel from a ship, which is expensive to operate – often starting at $50,000 per day. They can also be placed on the seafloor and powered by fiber optic cables connected to a shore station on land, but there are only a handful of places with this infrastructure.
Naval forces have an inherent operational reason to be quiet at sea, and the research into ocean noise provides additional insight for the Navy and Marine Corps in planning for future underway operations.
“Passive acoustic listening has many operational and research applications in the Navy,” says John Joseph, the principal investigator and faculty associate for research at the Naval Postgraduate School. “The autonomy and long endurance of Seatrec’s PSAP Voyager provides an unprecedented opportunity to collect acoustic data in real-time for very long periods in remote areas without the expense and logistical tail of ship support.”
Seatrec counts the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research among its early backers and in 2022 launched a precursor to the PSAP - Voyager project in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School to integrate hydrophones into autonomous, ocean-going robots. The research and development effort was supported by the Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER) at NPS, which is funded by the Office of Naval Research to provide a collaborative environment for the advancement of educational and research endeavors across the Navy and Marine Corps.
In 2023, Seatrec was selected for the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) Propel Hawai’i Accelerator. The program is a partnership between the NSIN and Decisive Point in collaboration with the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet—the world’s largest fleet command encompassing 100 million square miles. Seatrec was selected from a competitive field of over 200 early-stage companies to join an elite cohort of enterprises developing cutting-edge technologies to help the modernization needs of the US Navy and the broader DoD community.
About Seatrec
Seatrec designs and manufactures energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from naturally occurring temperature differences in ocean waters. This renewable energy can be used to power deep water oceanographic research equipment such as floats, gliders, and autonomous underwater vehicles, resulting in the most scalable, cost-effective deep ocean data collection possible. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
About the Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is a defense-focused graduate university offering master’s and doctoral degrees in fields of study core to Naval-unique needs, the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD civilians and international partners. For information, visit: nps.edu.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Marta.Bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 415.816.1665