For defence and government
Eyes on the water, no people in the danger zone
Watching coastal waters, ports and infrastructure at sea takes a lot of people and hours. Our brain turns a boat into an autonomous sea drone that patrols, observes and reports. One operator commands the whole swarm and stays in command. 100% Dutch.
Become a partner
Tell us which area or task you have in mind and we'll book a call. We reply within 2 working days.
Why now
The North Sea has become critical infrastructure
Data cables, gas pipelines and wind farms make the North Sea one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in Europe. Watching that area permanently with crewed ships takes more people and sea hours than are available, while threats are unpredictable by nature.
We believe surveillance can be smarter and safer. A swarm of affordable, autonomous sea drones is continuously present, observes and reports anomalies. The operator assesses and decides. That keeps eyes on the water without exposing your people.
What you gain
Four reasons for a swarm of autonomous sea drones
No people in the danger zone
The drone sails unmanned into the area you want to reconnoitre or watch. Your people stay at a distance and keep the overview, instead of spending hours on patrol.
Mass over premium
A swarm of affordable drones watches more water than one expensive platform. If one drops out, the rest sail on. Coverage and redundancy for the budget of a single premium system.
One operator, the whole swarm
Every drone sails independently on the same brain. One operator oversees the whole, assigns tasks and steps in where needed. That makes permanent presence achievable with a small team.
Sovereign and European
Designed, built and supported in the Netherlands. No dependence on overseas suppliers for critical maritime autonomy: your system and your data stay in Europe.
Division of roles
You the command, we the brain
Autonomy in sailing and observing, never in deciding. Responsibility stays where it belongs: with the human.
You keep
Command and accountability, without exception.
- Command: the operator decides, the system advises
- The mission, the rules of employment and the follow-up on a detection
- The data and the imagery, in your own environment
- The platform: an existing vessel or a new hull
We deliver
Everything that lets the vessel sail and observe on its own.
- The brain: sensor fusion, AI decision module, navigation engine and communication
- Sensor integration: camera (optical and infrared), radar, sonar and AIS/GPS
- The operator console for commanding several drones at once
- An open interface to connect with your own systems and sensors
How a deployment runs
From tasking to decision in three steps
The swarm does the sailing and the watching. The operator does the judging.
- 1
Assign the area
The operator draws the area to watch or the patrol route and divides it across the available drones. One command sets the swarm in motion.
- 2
The swarm patrols
Every drone sails independently, avoids traffic and obstacles and fuses radar, camera and AIS into one picture. Anomalies, such as a vessel with no AIS signal, are reported to the operator.
- 3
The operator decides
The operator assesses the report with live imagery, sends a drone closer or calls in a crewed unit. The system advises, the human gives the command.
What you use it for
One swarm, changing tasks
The same brain, the same drones, the task of the moment. The operator assigns, the swarm carries out.
Deployable 24/7, unmanned and fully under command.
- Surveillance of coastal waters and harbour approaches
- Protection of critical infrastructure at sea: cables, pipelines and wind farms
- Forward reconnaissance without exposing people
- Detection of unknown and unmanned vessels
- Support for coastguard and border control
- Permanent presence across a large sea area
Sovereign and open
European technology, your systems
For critical maritime autonomy you don't want to depend on overseas suppliers. The brain is designed, built and supported in the Netherlands, and the data stays in Europe. Through an open interface with standard connectors it links to your own sensors and systems, with no vendor lock-in.
Questions from defence and government
Frequently asked questions about autonomous surveillance at sea
- Is this a weapon system?
- No. The brain is an autonomy and observation system for surveillance, reconnaissance and detection. It sees, sails and reports. What happens with a report is up to the operator.
- Who makes the decisions?
- The operator, always. The brain works at Level 2: it detects, computes a course and advises, and the operator gives the command. Responsibility and accountability stay with the human.
- Why a swarm instead of one large platform?
- Because coverage counts. Five affordable drones watch more water than one premium system and keep working when one drops out. That is what we call mass over premium.
- How sovereign is the system?
- The brain is designed, built and supported in the Netherlands. Software, data and support stay in Europe, with no dependence on overseas suppliers.
- Does it fit our existing vessels and systems?
- Yes. The brain is a module that fits almost any vessel, new or existing, whatever its size or propulsion. Through the open interface it connects with your own sensors and systems.
- How does this fit your route to the North Sea?
- Our ambition is a permanent network of around fifty sea drones on the North Sea, deployable for changing tasks including surveillance. We start with the brain on existing vessels and build up from there. We're happy to discuss it.