Robot Talk · 22 Nov 2024 · 27m · Episode 99
Joe Wolfel, CEO and founder of Terradepth, explains how his background as a US Navy SEAL inspired the creation of autonomous submersible robots to map the deep ocean. He details Terradepth's 'soc' drone system, which uses two robots to leapfrog through the water column, enabling self-recharging and mutual localization without a surface vessel. Wolfel discusses the economic challenges of the maritime industry, the use of machine learning for data analysis, and the environmental benefits of reducing acoustic pollution compared to traditional ship-based mapping.
Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.
Engineering & simulationmachine learning model ensembles
The company runs machine learning model ensembles on the robot to determine if an object is of interest, allowing it to send only relevant data snippets to a remote operator.
“So we're running machine learning model ensembles on prep, on the robot right now. essentially to say, okay, look, is this an object of interest or not? And so those are the snippets that we pass right now.”
Speaker 2 · Hear it at 22:18
early-stage companies
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Jud Kauffman and Joe Wolfel, co-founders of Austin-based startup Terradepth, discuss their mission to build the 'Google Earth of the ocean' using a novel two-submarine leapfrogging system for autonomous deep-sea data collection. They explain how their Navy SEAL background informs their approach to solving bandwidth and signal attenuation challenges in underwater environments. The episode also features Nader Elm, CEO and co-founder of Exyn Technologies, who details his company's autonomous drones designed for GPS-denied environments like mines, highlighting their software-centric approach and recent product launches.
Nic Radford, founder and CEO of Nauticus Robotics, discusses the development of the Aquanaut, a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that combines the mobility of a torpedo with the manipulation capabilities of a box-shaped ROV. Leveraging his background at NASA with the Robonaut 2, Radford explains how Nauticus applies space-grade delay-tolerant networking and AI to overcome the extreme pressure and low-bandwidth challenges of the deep ocean. The company operates on a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, deploying the Aquanaut alongside their autonomous surface vessel, Hydronaut, to perform inspection and maintenance tasks for offshore wind and oil and gas industries without the high costs of traditional tethered spreads. Radford highlights the difficulty of recruiting hardware talent and the lack of venture capital for industrial deep tech, emphasizing that their proprietary electric actuation and software-defined autonomy create a significant competitive moat.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss a Caltech research project where scientists have turned jellyfish into 'cyborgs' to explore the deep ocean and monitor climate change. The team developed a low-cost electronic pacemaker to control swimming speed and a conical 'forebody' hat to hold sensors and improve hydrodynamics, allowing the jellyfish to swim up to 4.5 times faster while remaining healthy. This approach offers a scalable, ethical alternative to expensive robotic submarines for collecting oceanographic data.
Laughlin Barker, a systems engineer at OpenROV, discusses the design and operation of the Trident ROV, a low-cost, injection-molded underwater vehicle. He details the engineering challenges of underwater navigation, including the use of Bosch 085 IMUs and ultra-short baseline acoustic systems, and explains how OpenROV innovated by exposing brushless motors directly to salt water. Barker also shares his experiences conducting scientific missions in Antarctica, where he operated the larger 'Skinny' ROV to study marine life under the ice, highlighting issues with high-voltage connectors and the unique environmental constraints of the region.
Oliver Gunasekara, Co-Founder and CEO of Impossible Metals, explains the company's approach to deep-sea mining using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to collect polymetallic nodules without harming marine ecosystems. He contrasts this with environmentally destructive dredging methods and discusses the economic advantages of high-grade seabed ore over land-based mining. Gunasekara outlines the technical challenges of operating at 6,000 meters, the regulatory landscape involving the International Seabed Authority, and the company's plan to secure off-take financing to build a commercial fleet by 2026.
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