Low-Cost & Accessible Technology
Access to data collection is one of the primary barriers to deep-sea exploration. Traditionally, data collection at depth is conducted from large (and expensive) research vessels accessible to only a select few countries and researchers.
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We are creating low-cost, easy-to-use deep-sea systems that gather the most critical data to inform environmental decision-making and deployment strategies.
The Challenge
Today’s deep-sea underwater imaging and sensing systems are typically large, expensive, and challenging to deploy, requiring a ship and onboard handling equipment. Therefore, there are very few of them in existence; as a result, observations are few and far between. Because of their expense, the few existing technologies are owned and operated by only a handful of nations and individuals.
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If we are to truly understand the deep sea, we must create systems that are modular, low-cost, and easy to use. This approach will enable more people to deploy them and begin to make observations on much finer spatial and temporal scales than ever before—more “eyes” in the water in more locations worldwide.
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There has been a surge of interest in the low-cost sensing space in recent years. Most of these efforts, however, have focused on relatively shallow waters (max ~300 m), are not mass-produceable, and cannot be customized to a user’s needs.
Our Strategy
The Deep Ocean Research & Imaging System (DORIS) is a cutting-edge, low-cost deep-sea camera that will revolutionize deep-ocean exploration with affordable technology designed for global accessibility. DORIS addresses today's limitations in deep-sea research, where costly, complex technology restricts exploration to just a handful of nations and researchers. Funded in part by NOAA's Ocean Technology Transition program, DORIS is developed in partnership with Blue Robotics, leveraging their expertise in designing, prototyping, and manufacturing advanced low-cost deep-sea systems.
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​DORIS is engineered to dramatically expand deep ocean access with low-cost, user-friendly systems capable of reaching depths of 6,000 meters. At an unprecedented target base price of less than $10,000 per system, DORIS is designed to leverage modularity, allowing users to interchange various operational and sensing modules and enable researchers worldwide at varying levels of capability. Its intuitive design requires no specialized engineering expertise, and each system is supported by a robust graphical user interface that simplifies mission planning and data retrieval. The untethered system is compact enough to be deployed from a small boat.
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Future enhancements and modules include bait arms, buoyancy engines, altimeters, and passive hydrophones, and will incorporate user feedback, significantly broadening operational capabilities and applications.
