Seatrec’s infiniTE™ Profiling Float Captures First-of-Its-Kind Fine-Scale Ocean Vertical Structure, Powered by Temperature Gradients

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

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Contact Information

Marta Bulaich

Media Contact

Seatrec

(1) (415) 816-1665

marta.bulaich@seatrec.com