Robots vs. Hurricane 🌊🤯: A Stunning Rescue?

Tech

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Robotics Born from a Race
Anahita Laverack’s journey to founding Oshen began not with a dream of designing spacecraft, but with a humbling experience during the Microtransat Challenge. Participating in 2021, she and other competitors attempted to deploy autonomous, sail-powered micro-robots across the Atlantic Ocean, a venture ultimately unsuccessful. As Laverack explained, “I realized half the reason that all of these attempts were failing is, number one, obviously it’s hard to make micro-robots survive on the ocean.” This realization stemmed from a crucial observation: existing robotic efforts lacked sufficient oceanic data to accurately assess weather conditions and even basic ocean conditions.

A Data Gap Emerges
Driven by this understanding, Laverack actively sought out relevant data at industry conferences like Oceanology International. She discovered a significant deficiency in existing methods for collecting oceanic information, sparking a new opportunity. Individuals approached her, eager to pay her to undertake this data collection herself. Recognizing this potential, Laverack conceived of a solution, and in April 2022, she co-founded Oshen with electrical engineer Ciaran Dowds, laying the foundation for a revolutionary approach to ocean data gathering.

Bootstrapped Innovation
Initially, Oshen adopted a deliberately modest approach, deploying its ocean data collection bots in swarms. The founders, wanting to avoid venture capital, pooled their savings to purchase a 25-foot sailboat. They resided at the UK’s cheapest marina, utilizing the vessel as their primary testing platform. For two years, Oshen repeatedly refined its robotic technology on shore before immediately deploying the bots for on-water testing, acknowledging the challenging conditions. "Summer, that’s not too bad,” Laverack noted, highlighting the necessity for robust technology capable of reliably operating in all weather conditions, even acknowledging “unforeseen adventures” that presented significant hurdles.

Weathering the Storm – A Breakthrough
Two years after its inception, Oshen achieved a remarkable milestone when it successfully deployed robots into winter storms in the U.K., just two months before the 2025 hurricane season. The organization quickly mobilized, deploying fifteen C-Stars within weeks, intentionally releasing five into the waters near the U.S. Virgin Islands where Hurricane Humberto was predicted to make landfall. Remarkably, three of the C-Stars endured the full force of the Category 5 hurricane, continuing to collect data—a first for ocean robotics—marking a significant technological achievement.

Expanding Horizons & Future Growth
Following this success, Oshen relocated to a marine technology hub in Plymouth, England, and has begun securing contracts, including one with the U.K. government, for both weather and defense applications. Laverack indicated that the company anticipates raising venture capital soon to meet the growing demand for its products and services, signaling a promising future for this innovative robotics company.

This article is AI-synthesized from public sources and may not reflect original reporting.