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
These Underwater Drones Use Water Temperature Differences To Recharge
Recharging Ocean Drones with Renewable Energy
Check out the interview with our CEO and Founder, Dr. Yi Chao, with Jeremy Hsu in IEEE Spectrum. In the interview, Yi talks about how Seatrec uses thermal energy harvesting to recharge ocean floats and gliders with renewable energy generated by ocean temperature differences. A summary is below. Click here for the full article.
Thermal Energy Harvesting
Today, most floats are treated as disposable devices due to power and financial challenges. Power challenges arise because the lithium-ion battery energy is limited. Once the battery dies, the float and accompanying potentially toxic battery drop to the bottom of the ocean. Financial limitations are in play because oceanographers lack the funding to deploy ships to retrieve these derelict floats. Yi's goal is to leverage Seatrec's thermal energy harvesting systems to eliminate toxic battery disposal. Additionally, with our technology, we can improve the durability of ocean drones and improve the data collection and frequency of profiling.
Underwater Charging Station for UUVs
Seatrec is collaborating with defense giant Northrop Grumman to develop an underwater recharging station for ocean robots. Northrop has created a self-insulating electrical connector capable of operating while the powered electrical contacts are submerged. Seatrec and Northrop won a $10,000 prize under the Powering the Blue Economy: Ocean Observing Prize administered by the U.S. Department of Energy and NOAA to develop this technology.
Yi is most excited about collecting as much oceanographic data as possible and exploring other blue economy ventures such as aquaculture (underwater farms) and other subsurface applications.