Seatrec and Naval Postgraduate School to Cooperate on Research and Development of Platform to Provide Persistent, Real-Time Underwater Sound Data

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.

###

Contact Information

Marta Bulaich

Media Contact

Seatrec

(1) 415 816 1665

Marta.Bulaich@seatrec.com