Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Float Surpasses 1,000 Dives for Naval Postgraduate School - Ushering a New Era of Long-Endurance Persistent Ocean Monitoring

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

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Marta Bulaich

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Seatrec

(1) 415.816.1665

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