In the vast expanse of Earth’s oceans, startup Saildrone is making waves in autonomous oceanic monitoring. Its nautical data collection technology is setting new standards, from tracking hurricanes up close in the North Atlantic to discovering hidden underwater mountains in the Pacific Ocean and even helping to map the world’s entire ocean floor.
Saildrone specialises in developing autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) equipped with a diverse array of sensors. These data streams are harnessed for AI processing at the edge using NVIDIA Jetson modules and optimised with the NVIDIA DeepStream software development kit for intelligent video analytics.
Saildrone aims to make ocean intelligence collection cost-effective and accessible for a wide range of applications, including science, fisheries, weather forecasting, ocean mapping, and maritime security. It offers three different USV models, all managed and monitored through the user-friendly Mission Portal control centre service, providing real-time data visualisation. The company contributes to the public by sharing some of its historical data.
Throughout their journey, Saildrone USVs have proven their robustness and resilience, sailing through the eyes of major hurricanes and emerging on the other side unscathed. This reliability has garnered significant support, with the startup raising US$190 million in funding and being recognised as a member of the NVIDIA Inception programme that provides companies with technology support and AI platforms guidance.
One of its standout applications is environmental studies of oceans and lakes. The University of Hawaii at Manoa has enlisted the help of Saildrone Explorer USVs to study ocean acidification and its impact on climate change around the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kaui. This valuable research helps evaluate the health of the oceans in the state and contributes to the understanding of threats to marine ecosystems.
Saildrone’s commitment to the health of the planet is exemplified by its partnership with Seabed 2030, an ambitious project aimed at completely mapping the world’s ocean floors by 2030. Such comprehensive mapping is crucial for understanding and preserving oceanic ecosystems.
Energy efficiency is at the core of Saildrone’s design philosophy. By utilising solar and wind power, these USVs can collect more data with fewer resources than traditional boats and crews. Their energy-efficient computing, powered by NVIDIA Jetson, ensures seamless data processing, even during long missions in challenging conditions.
At the heart of Saildrone’s technology is NVIDIA JetPack SDK, providing hardware-accelerated edge AI capabilities. Running machine learning on the Jetson module enables image-based vessel detection for navigation and allows pilots to optimise routes using metocean data. Saildrone’s perceptual sensor suite, including radar and visual underwater acoustic sensors, provides an extensive range of data for analysis.
To handle the massive amounts of data generated by its robust sensor suite, it relies on the powerful NVIDIA DeepStream SDK for vision AI applications and services. DeepStream facilitates seamless streaming pipelines for AI-based video, audio, and image analytics, even in resource-constrained environments.
Saildrone’s vision of a healthy ocean and sustainable planet drives its continuous innovation in oceanic monitoring. Its groundbreaking technology sets the stage for a new era of data-driven ocean exploration and preservation.
In the pursuit of environmental stewardship and scientific progress, Saildrone is proving to be an indispensable asset, leading the charge in autonomous oceanic monitoring. With each successful mission, it is not only gathering data but also charting a course toward a more sustainable future for Planet Earth.
Entelechy Asia 