Sucking up CO2Robotics for ocean prosperity and protection.
Big Picture
We know shockingly little about the 70% of Earth covered in oceans. Until now, its large size has made it expensive to explore. The result is an understudied, underutilized, and underwater frontier. The ocean, though almost boiling, hides enormous opportunities for natural restoration, carbon sequestration, and economic growth. The potential is there; we just have to reach it.
How it Works
Ulysses’ ocean robotics platform merges advancements in automation, material science, and batteries to construct a new class of low-cost maritime robots. Originally built for restoring seagrass ecosystems, their modular approach is now finding fits in industries as diverse as offshore wind surveys to continuous domain awareness.
Unfair Advantage
Recent innovation in undersea robotics has focused on sensing environments, rather than interacting with them. Further, they’re regularly over-engineered for exceptional operations–depth rated for the Mariana trench–rather than closer-to-home missions like coastal environments. Ulysses is the first to pursue a useful, multi-purpose platform to broaden the use cases for undersea robotics. It’s easy to see a future where corporations and governments alike seek out Ulysses for their climate and security goals.
3
Trillion dollars
of annual spend across the maritime economy
AKHIL VOORAKKARA CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Akhil was previously a consultant at McKinsey, after working as a robotics engineer at multiple startups.
WILL O’BRIEN CO-FOUNDER
Will was previously head of growth and government affairs at Zipp Mobility.
Seagrass–secret weapon in the fight against global heating
UN Environment Programme
Research: Seagrass meadows shrank by 92% in UK waters–restoring them could absorb carbon emissions
UCL News