Watch All-New SeaTrac Field Report Video Case Study on USV Versatility

The versatility of SeaTrac’s SP-48 USV platform lies in its modular design, compact footprint, and extended endurance, allowing a single system to adapt to diverse payload and sensor requirements. The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) demonstrates this flexibility by deploying SeaTrac USVs across various applications, ranging from offshore hypoxia testing to U.S. Air Force defense simulations, delivering faster, more accurate results than traditional crewed vessels. Watch this SeaTrac Field Report video case study, featuring our own Alessandra Bianchi, to learn more.

Tracking Sharks in Real-Time for Marine Research & Swimmer Safety

As recently featured on NBC’s TODAY Show, California State University Long Beach's Shark Lab is using SeaTrac's uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to track sharks in real time and improve coastal safety. Outfitted with acoustic receivers to detect tagged sharks, water samplers to collect white shark DNA, and onboard cameras for visual monitoring, the USV provides critical data on shark locations and behaviors while minimizing environmental disturbance as changing ocean conditions shift their coastal habitats.

Leveraging USVs for NOAA's U.S. West Coast Acidification Survey

In July, NOAA deployed a SeaTrac USV in Lake Washington to trial atmospheric river forecasting and other oceanographic applications. The program proved so successful that NOAA advanced the platform from the testing phase into active scientific deployment.

NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) is now enlisting SeaTrac USVs for its 2026 West Coast Ocean Acidification (WCOA) survey to collect critical data on ocean acidification, hypoxia and El Niño-related conditions along the West Coast. Our USV is operating alongside NOAA’s R/V Sikuliaq, helping extend the reach of the research effort and fill data gaps between traditional research cruises. Read the latest update from NOAA PMEL. 

Supporting New Bedford Survey & Harbor-to-Bay Digital Twin Project