Search & Rescue
Deliver flotation, locate the victim and guide the rescue team live.
Learn moreAutonomy for any vessel. Retrofit or new-build. 100% Dutch.
The autonomous brain for any vessel
One module you build into almost any boat, whatever its size or propulsion, that lets it sail, watch and decide. Affordable, European, and fully under your command. From rescue operations to coastal surveillance: one operator commands the whole swarm.
- 1
- operator commands the whole swarm
- 50
- sea drones in our North Sea network
- 8 min
- to a person in the water, 14 min ahead of a crewed vessel
- 5:1
- five affordable drones for the price of one premium system
A smart network of autonomous sea drones for the North Sea
Dutch USV Technologies is building towards a permanent network of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), sea drones on the North Sea: vessels that sail autonomously and are continuously present together. The intelligence sits in the brain on board. One operator commands the whole swarm, from a tablet or from shore.
That brain is our foundation, and as far as we're concerned the smartest on the water. Instead of buying a complete fleet, you connect existing boats to our software and hardware module: that turns every boat into an affordable, smart sea drone. Built for the real sea, resistant to waves, current and salt. With Level 2 autonomy the system detects obstacles and advises, while the operator always decides. Deployable for search & rescue, inspection & survey, workboat tasks and defence.
Why us
Designed by sailors, built for the real sea
Built by sailors
Our founder sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. That lesson, the sea decides and you don't, is in every choice we make.
Mass over premium
We believe in coverage over specification. Five drones for the price of one competitor, so the whole sea gets safer, not just the part with the biggest budget.
European and sovereign
Designed, built and supported in the Netherlands. No dependence on overseas suppliers for your critical maritime autonomy: your data and your system stay in Europe.
One network, many tasks
One network, four areas of deployment
A network of sea drones moves with the task of the moment: from rescue operations on the North Sea to autonomous inspection, workboat tasks and defence. The same brain, the same drones, changing missions. The operator steers, the network executes.
Inspection & Survey
Quay inspection, bathymetric depth measurement and water-quality monitoring. 24/7, electric.
Learn moreWorkboat
Autonomous light transport, towing assistance and offshore support without a crew on board.
Learn moreDefence & Surveillance
Autonomous surveillance, reconnaissance and coastguard support. Eyes on the water, no people in the danger zone.
Learn moreRescue service? See how the sea drone becomes your first responder →
Port or water authority? See how surveying and inspection become routine →
Defence or government? See how a swarm watches over the water →
The brain
It's all about the brain
The smart part isn't in the hull, it's in the brain: the sensor fusion, AI decision module, navigation and open interface. You connect it to a boat you already have, or we help you find a suitable hull. That's how we make autonomy affordable and scalable.
Like driver-assistance systems in a car: the system helps, the human steers. That's Level 2 autonomy, and as far as we're concerned the basis for the future of sailing.
And it scales: every drone runs on the same brain, while one operator oversees the whole network. That's how you keep fifty autonomous sea drones manageable from a single console.
Read more about the technology →Camera
Radar
Sonar
AIS / GPS
Sensors (input)
The brain
- Sensor fusion
- AI decision module
- Navigation engine
- Communication
Open interface: API
Hardware connectors
Advice → operator (tablet / laptop)
Output
Fits any vessel
One brain, any vessel, any propulsion
You don't need to buy a new fleet to sail autonomously. Our brain is a module that fits the boat you already have.
Any size
From RIB and workboat to small coaster. The brain is a module, not a boat: it scales with what you already have.
Any propulsion
Diesel, electric, hybrid or waterjet. We drive the rudder and engine through standard interfaces, whatever sits under the hood.
Retrofit or new-build
Existing boat? We build the brain into it. New hull? We design it in. No fleet replacement, just a smart upgrade.
Open interface, no lock-in
Standard API and connectors. Your sensors, your platform, your data. You're not tied to anything.
Shipbuilder or yard? See what the brain means for your vessels →
How it works
From your boat to an autonomous sea drone
You don't need a new fleet. You start with the boat you already have.
- 1
Choose the vessel
New or existing, your hull or one from a shipbuilder we work with. Almost any boat works.
- 2
We build the brain into it
Sensors, software and the open interface. We think along about the integration, from first test to ready to sail.
- 3
You sail autonomously
The operator steers from a tablet or from shore. The system watches, computes and advises. Level 2: you stay in control.
Partners
Build the first autonomous vessels with us
We are looking for partners who want the brain on board first: shipbuilders adding autonomy to their range, rescue services and ports with a vessel that needs to get smarter, and investors who believe in the route to the North Sea network. Whoever joins now helps shape how the brain develops.
Traction
Building the future with the right partners
- In talks with KNRM, Port of Rotterdam and METIP Den Helder
- CODEMO proposal submitted to the Dutch Ministry of Defence
- Participant in the PortXL maritime accelerator Rotterdam
The organisations named refer to ongoing conversations and submitted proposals; no partnership or endorsement is implied.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about sea drones and water drones
- What is a sea drone?
- A sea drone (also called a water drone or USV, unmanned surface vessel) is an unmanned vessel that sails over the water autonomously or by remote control. It's used for tasks such as search & rescue, inspection, depth measurement and transport, without a crew on board.
- What's the difference between a sea drone and a water drone?
- The terms are used interchangeably. 'Water drone' is the broader term for any unmanned vessel; 'sea drone' emphasises deployment at sea, such as the North Sea. Dutch USV Technologies focuses on sea drones that can withstand waves, current and salt water.
- Do you build the boat or the software?
- We start with the brain: the autonomy system (sensor fusion, AI decision module, navigation and open interface) that fits almost any vessel, new or existing. That turns an existing boat into an autonomous sea drone. In time we'll also develop our own vessels, and if you want a complete solution we'll think along about the boat.
- How does a network of 50 autonomous sea drones stay manageable?
- One operator commands the whole swarm. Each sea drone sails autonomously on the same Level 2 brain: it detects obstacles, computes a course and advises. The operator keeps the overview and steps in where needed. That way the network scales without needing a skipper for every boat, and you keep command.
- How is this different from existing autonomy systems like Sea Machines?
- The starting point is the same: an autonomy system you build into almost any vessel, retrofit or new-build, whatever its size or propulsion. Our difference lies in price (mass over premium, so you deploy a swarm instead of one expensive platform), in European sovereignty (designed and built in the Netherlands, your data and system stay in Europe) and in operational control: with us the operator always commands the whole swarm.
- What does Level 2 autonomy mean?
- At Level 2 the system detects obstacles, computes the optimal course and advises the operator. The operator sees the advice on a tablet or laptop and gives the command. That combines the speed of AI with the judgement of an experienced skipper.
- What are water drones and sea drones used for?
- For four missions: search & rescue (delivering flotation and locating victims), inspection & survey (quay inspection, bathymetric depth measurement and water quality), workboat tasks (light transport, towing assistance and offshore support) and defence & surveillance (autonomous reconnaissance, monitoring and coastguard support).
- Are your sea drones developed in the Netherlands?
- Yes. Dutch USV Technologies designs, builds and supports the autonomy system 100% from the Netherlands, for deployment on the North Sea among others.
Contact
Join our mission
We are looking for partners: shipbuilders, rescue services, ports, offshore and investors who make the first vessels autonomous with us. Tell us who you are and what you sail, and we'll think along. We reply within 2 working days.