Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Profiling Float Captures First-of-Its-Kind Fine-Scale Ocean Vertical Structure
Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Profiling Float Captures First-of-Its-Kind Fine-Scale Ocean Vertical Structure, Powered by Temperature Gradients
A serendipitous meeting between ocean engineers and scientists sparked a new float mission to change how the ocean is measured
VISTA, Calif.— Feb. 23, 2026 — Seatrec, a leader in thermal-powered, long-endurance subsea drones, today announced the successful launch of a collaborative scientific mission to develop new autonomous profiling float capabilities that are powered by the ocean’s temperature differences and collect critical data on ocean health and carbon cycling.
This mission originated from a booth conversation at the American Geophysical Union (AGU)-sponsored Ocean Sciences Meeting 2024 (OSM24), held in New Orleans in February 2024. Seatrec CEO and Founder, Yi Chao, Ph.D., met with Mark Altabet, Ph.D, Professor and Chair of the School for Marine Science & Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Eric A. D’Asaro, Ph.D., Senior Principal Oceanographer of the Applied Physics Laboratory and School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. At the time, Seatrec had recently launched its commercial infiniTE™ float. During discussions, Altabet and D’Asaro explored how the infiniTE float could fundamentally alter sampling strategies for studying turbulence, internal waves, and ocean mixing. That discussion marked the beginning of a co-development effort.
“Data below the ocean surface is significantly lacking because traditional profiling floats are all powered by primary batteries that limit float life and data collection capability,” explained Chao. “The infiniTE float harvests energy from temperature gradients in the ocean, and can therefore collect more frequent measurements and carry new sensors.”
The collaboration resulted in the successful development and deployment of an infiniTE float with two sensors to measure oxygen and total dissolved gas pressure (TDGP), key indicators of ecosystem health, environmental stress, and carbon cycling. The accurate measurement of TDGP requires the float to park at multiple depths and remain at each depth long enough for the sensor to collect reliable measurements.
“This type of mission has never been done before with the existing float products,” said D’Asaro. “The infiniTE float changes the way we think about power in a profiling float. In a battery-powered float, the total energy is fixed, so you try to minimize power usage by minimizing the number of profiles. Since the infiniTE float recharges its battery with the energy harvested from the ocean, there is no power penalty for more profiles.”
“Looking into the future,” said Altabet, “the infiniTE float can be used to profile more rapidly to resolve the diurnal variation of oxygen and its impact on productivity. This could only be done with the infiniTE float in a sustained way.”
This mission builds on Seatrec’s broader efforts to advance long-duration autonomous ocean systems, including a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Naval Postgraduate School focused on enabling persistent, real-time oceanographic and acoustic measurements in open-ocean environments.
Related to this work, Chao will present at this week’s AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, on harvesting energy from ocean temperature gradients to power underwater robots and sensors for persistent monitoring.
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 School for Marine Science & Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
The School for Marine Science & Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (SMAST) is a nationally and internationally recognized institution for education and research in marine science and ocean technology. SMAST is a collaborative community of dedicated students and expert faculty working together to address critical challenges in marine science while fostering a supportive and collegial environment. SMAST students and faculty help address urgent issues facing the world’s oceans, including climate change and ocean impacts, food security via sustainable fisheries, sustainable energy development and associated impacts, and coastal ecosystem resilience.
About the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington
The University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (APL-UW) was founded by the U.S. Navy in 1943 to conduct acoustic and oceanographic studies on how deep ocean variability affects Navy systems. Today, APL-UW scientists and engineers lead research and applied technologies in acoustic and remote sensing, ocean physics and engineering, medical and industrial ultrasound, polar science and logistics, environmental and information systems, and electronic and photonic systems.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Seatrec, Inc.
marta.bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 (415) 816-1665
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 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 Names Pentagon Alum Jason Stack to Advisory Board
Seatrec Names Pentagon Alum Jason Stack to Advisory Board
Extensive experience in developing and managing advanced autonomous naval and maritime systems will guide the commercialization and deployment of Seatec’s technology across the defense, research, and Blue Economy domains
VISTA, Calif. – WEBWIRE – Thursday, April 4, 2024. Seatrec, a renewable energy company that harvests energy from temperature differences in the environment, today announces the appointment of Jason Stack, Ph.D., an engineer and former Deputy Director of the Navy’s Unmanned Task Force at the Pentagon, to its advisory board.
“We’re rapidly commercializing autonomous systems powered by the ocean’s temperature differences for critical research and defense, as well as those that will help expand the Blue Economy,” points out Yi Chao, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Seatrec. “Jason’s unparalleled expertise gained from a distinguished career in the US Navy is a tremendous resource to help us accomplish our mission.”
Stack’s time at the Pentagon included multiple formal appointments within NATO including the US National Representative for Systems, Concepts, and Integration within the NATO Science & Technology Organization. Following his role at the Pentagon, he is co-founding a startup in the maritime space - still in stealth - and works as the company’s CTO.
He began his career designing and prototyping heavy equipment and industrial electronics at two manufacturing companies before earning his Ph.D. and moving to the Department of Defense (DoD). During his two-decade career at the DoD, Stack led programs at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in maritime platform, sensor, perception, effector, and autonomy development. He then transitioned to an executive role where he acted as ONR’s Technical Director and served as director of the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Space Research Division before taking up his post at the Pentagon.
“Autonomous systems hold great potential for filling important capability gaps across a host of research, defense, and maritime missions but a reliance on batteries limits their endurance,” explains Stack. “Seatrec’s technology provides abundant power that is clean and sustainable to free those systems to reach their potential by providing robust function sets with near limitless endurance.”
Seatrec’s pioneering energy harvesting system uses phase change materials to harness energy from temperature differences between the ocean’s various depths. These materials contract and expand creating pressure that’s captured and converted into electricity. The clean, virtually limitless power enables scientists to integrate power-intensive sensors into its infiniTE™ float that were previously restricted by battery capabilities and lifespans.
Seatrec counts the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research among its early backers and in 2022 launched a project in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School to integrate hydrophones into autonomous, ocean-going robots.
In 2023, the company 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. Incorporated in 2016 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec’s technology originated at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, to provide clean power for remote off-grid locations. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
Media Contact
Sean Yokomizo
Seatrec, Inc.
sean.yokomizo@seatrec.com
+1 925.878.1200
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Seatrec Names Retired Rear Admiral John Neagley to Advisory Board
Seatrec Names Retired Rear Admiral John Neagley to Advisory Board
The 35-year veteran of the US Navy brings unique experience in leading organizations and teams in developing and operationalizing complex maritime technologies with particular focus on the Blue Economy
Seatrec, a renewable energy company that harvests energy from temperature differences in the environment, today announces the appointment of retired Rear Admiral and Founder/Principal of Blue Native Consulting, John Neagley, to its advisory board.
“John’s long and distinguished career in the Navy saw him successfully lead complex operations and the development of new technologies amid high stakes and high standards,” explains Yi Chao, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Seatrec. “His understanding of what it takes to succeed in a maritime environment and his passion for developing the Blue Economy is a perfect fit with our mission of providing clean, renewable energy to existing and novel applications.”
Neagley’s three-and-a-half decades of experience in the Navy saw him command a Navy Destroyer and serve on a number of surface combatants, including those that participated in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Desert Fox. Following his time at sea, Neagley managed a host of Naval research, development, and procurement projects, including acting as the executive officer for Littoral Combat Ships (PEO LCS). Before his retirement, he oversaw the Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) that set the course and scope of responsibilities for both manned and unmanned systems.
“The maritime environment is demanding and providing clean, renewable power to the most remote areas has always been a limiting factor,” points out Neagley. “Seatrec’s technology opens up exciting possibilities for maritime applications and for expanding the Blue Economy.”
Seatrec’s pioneering energy harvesting system uses phase change materials to harness energy from temperature differences between the ocean’s various depths. These materials contract and expand creating pressure that’s captured and converted into electricity. The clean, virtually limitless power enables scientists to integrate power-intensive sensors into its infiniTE™ float that typically require shore-supplied power or direct ship support via tethering.
The company counts the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research among its early backers and recently launched a project in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School to study the impact of noise pollution on the ocean environments powered by Seatrec’s 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. Incorporated in 2016 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec’s technology originated at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, to provide clean power for remote off-grid locations. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
Media Contact
Sean Yokomizo
Seatrec, Inc.
sean.yokomizo@seatrec.com
+1 925.878.1200
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Seatrec and The USM Team to Improve Hurricane Forecasting and Monitor Critically Endangered Rice’s Whale
VISTA, Calif. – WEBWIRE – Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Seatrec, a startup company unlocking clean, renewable power for ocean research and commerce, and the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), today announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at improving hurricane rapid-intensification forecasting and monitoring critically endangered Rice’s whales in the Gulf of Mexico.
The MOU calls for the deployment of two types of Seatrec’s infiniTE™ floats each customized for different missions using the system’s first-of-its-kind modular design and clean, renewable power technology that harvests electricity from the ocean’s temperature differences.
One type of float will feature a suite of instruments to take measurements as frequently as three times per day to track water temperatures and other data that scientists believe contribute to the rapid intensification of hurricanes like Katrina, Irma, and Ian. The second type of float will operate with a passive acoustic hydrophone to monitor the endangered Rice’s whales with less than 100 remaining members of the species clustered in the Gulf’s northeastern waters.
“There is a critical need to better understand the Gulf of Mexico both in terms of its impact on humans in the form of extreme weather events and human impact on the marine life,” points out Yi Chao, Ph.D., the CEO and founder of Seatrec. “Having the flexibility to quickly and inexpensively deploy different mission-specific instrument suites on deep-diving, autonomous floats powered by a clean, renewable power source gives scientists like those at USM important tools to gather data not possible with previous technologies.”
Rice’s whales are members of the baleen whale family Balaenopteridae. With likely fewer than 100 individuals remaining, Rice’s whales are one of the most endangered whales in the world. Recovery of the species depends upon the protection of each remaining whale.
The MOU follows Seatrec’s completion of the six-month Gulf Blue Navigator program that is administered by USM and SeaAhead with partners, including Jackson State University. The program is designed to help scale blue technology startups.
“Power has long been a limiting factor that often restricts the types of instruments deployed in the ocean, how long they can last, and the amount of persistent data they can collect,” explains Dr. Kelly Lucas, USM’s Vice President for Research. “Seatrec’s ability to provide clean, renewable power to vertically integrated and modular instrument suites opens the door to a host of applications that will help us better understand and protect the ocean.”
Added Hailey Bathurst, Program Manager for the Gulf Blue Navigator, “Seatrec exemplifies what the Navigator program is meant to do: help blue tech startups find traction in the Gulf of Mexico, work with the core facilities at USM, and plug into a supportive ecosystem. This MOU and the others being finalized between USM and the inaugural Gulf Blue Navigator cohort members truly represents the potential of the program.”
The Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise serves a global hub for advancing Uncrewed Maritime Systems, ocean data science, maritime cyber research, and blue tech workforce training. The 62,500-square-foot center consists of multiple facilities bringing together federal, industry, and academic partners, creating a collaborative environment to accelerate the development and launch of new technology in the fast-growing ocean economy.
Entrepreneurs and startups developing solutions to global challenges utilize the center to capitalize on world-class ocean research capabilities and connect to university research scientists.
“The Gulf Blue Navigator program has already begun to make an economic impact to the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Dr. Jason McKenna, Director of Research, Development, Testing, Evaluation & Training at the Wicker Center. “This is the first of many follow-on initiatives between USM’s world-class research centers and the Navigator’s program’s first graduating cohorts and demonstrates the ability of our coastal research ecosystem to partner with and help grow blue technology in Mississippi.”
Seatrec’s pioneering energy harvesting system uses phase change materials to harness energy from temperature differences between the ocean’s various depths. These materials contract and expand creating pressure that’s captured and converted into electricity. The clean, virtually limitless power frees scientists to use sensors that typically require shore-supplied power or direct ship support via tethering. The infiniTE™ float platform’s “plug-and-play” modularity vertically integrates different sensors tailored to particular areas of study.
Hurricane Forecasting
Better understanding the rapid intensification of major storms and hurricanes is a particularly pressing goal as annual economic losses from such storms are estimated at $54B. Traditional floats (commonly known as Argo) typically only profile once every 10 days, which is insufficient to measure the intensification of storms that can surge in as little as 24 hours. Seatrec’s infiniTE™ floats are able to sample as frequently as three times per day providing 30x more data than the standard Argo floats.
Whale Monitoring
Studies show that noise from humans adversely affects a broad range of organisms including marine mammals. Hydrophones are needed to quantify the impact of these noises on marine mammals. Hydrophones mounted on Seatrec’s infiniTE™ floats provide an inexpensive, autonomous platform to gather soundscape data at varying depths for years at a time.
Seatrec will establish a long-term presence in the Gulf of Mexico to support the MOU missions with a satellite office provided by the Gulf Blue Navigator program while its headquarters will remain in Vista, California.
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 (AUVs), resulting in the most scalable, cost-effective deep ocean data collection possible. Incorporated in 2016 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec’s technology originated at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, to provide clean power for remote off-grid locations. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 146 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and large event venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 36 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $663 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of more than 13,500, representing more than 70 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 37 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 27 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.
Contact Information:
Sean Yokomizo
Media Relations/Communications
Seatrec, Inc.
925.878.1200
sean.yokomizo@seatrec.com
Here is the official press release.
Introducing the infiniTE™ Float
Seatrec Launches infiniTE™ Float, a First-Of-Its-Kind Modular Platform with “Plug-and-Play” Sensors Powered by the Ocean’s Temperature Differences
Unprecedented flexibility from clean, renewable power greatly expands the use of sensors required for seafloor mapping and soundscape study along with the ability to generate up to 3 profiles per day to unlock improved hurricane rapid-intensification forecasting
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 14, 2023) – Seatrec, a renewable energy company that harvests energy from temperature differences in the environment, today announces the launch of its infiniTE™ Float. The first-of-its-kind modular platform features the ability to mix and match an expanded array of power-hungry sensors – some never before supported by autonomous profiling floats – by generating clean, renewable electricity from the ocean’s temperature differences.
The announcement comes on the opening day of the Oceanology International Americas event in San Diego.
“Power limitations remain a key challenge to critical ocean research,” explains Yi Chao, Ph.D., the CEO and Founder of Seatrec, who is a panelist at the event’s Ocean Observation and Sensing 1 Session. “Our next-generation infiniTE™ floats solve that problem in a sustainable way and unlock the future of oceanographic research by facilitating long-term, data-gathering deployments that were previously impossible.”
Seatrec’s pioneering energy harvesting system harnesses temperature differences between the ocean’s various depths to drive the phase change of specific materials. These materials contract and expand creating pressure that’s captured and converted into electricity. The clean, virtually limitless power frees scientists to use sensors that typically require shore-supplied power or direct ship support via tethering.
The infiniTE™ float platform’s “plug-and-play” modularity vertically integrates different sensors tailored to particular areas of study.
Hurricane Forecasting
Better understanding the rapid intensification of major storms and hurricanes is a particularly pressing goal as annual economic losses from such storms are estimated at $54B. Legacy floats typically only profile once every 10 days, which is insufficient to measure the intensification of storms that can surge in as little as 24 hours. Seaterc’s infiniTE™ floats are able to sample as frequently as three times per day providing 30x more data than its competition.
Seafloor Mapping
Only 20% of the global seafloor is mapped by in-water sensors with high resolution and mapping the remaining 80% using ships is estimated to cost as much as $3B. Echosounders are impossible to mount on legacy floats because of power limitations. Seatrec’s power generation technology clears the way for the use of low-cost floats to conduct bathymetry surveys at depth, autonomously, and at a fraction of the cost of using ships.
Soundscape Monitoring
Studies show that noise from humans adversely affects a broad range of organisms, including marine mammals. Hydrophones are needed to quantify the impact of these noises on marine mammals. Hydrophones mounted on Seatrec’s infiniTE™ floats provide an inexpensive, autonomous platform to gather soundscape data at varying depths for years at a time.
The launch of the infiniTE™ Float Platform follows on the heels of a notable year of partnerships for Seatrec. The Naval Postgraduate School recently partnered with Seatrec to study the ocean soundscape and chart the impact of noise pollution on Blue Whales by using a hydrophone-equipped infiniTE™ float. Also, Seatrec and The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project signed an MOU to launch Project NEMO (Novel Echosounder to Map the Ocean) to map the gaps of the global seafloor in remote areas where it is too costly for ships to access.
For information about the only cost-effective and sustainable solution on the market, visit www.seatrec.com.
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 (AUVs), resulting in the most scalable, cost-effective deep ocean data collection possible. Incorporated in 2016 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec’s technology originated at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, to provide clean power for remote off-grid locations. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Visit us at www.seatrec.com and @seatrecinc.
Media Contact
Sean Yokomizo
Seatrec, Inc.
sean.yokomizo@seatrec.com
+1 925.878.1200
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