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small lab to the commercial stage. Ed- species and size selectivity of different son acknowledges the dif? culties in go- types of ? shing bear.

ing commercial, “I can understand why so many products fail before they ever A New Kind of Ocean Robot make it to a commercial stage. It’s re- Tools that are adaptable and ? exible ally hard to get out of the lab and into a are really the successful ingredients commercial stage, especially in a niche in today’s ocean start-ups. Sun? sh market. It’s not like an app that you can Inc., a new subsidiary of Stone Aero- just sort of serve out.” space, and another SMTP grantee, has designed and built a new type of

A Beacon of Light hovering autonomous underwater ve-

Another example of SMTP’s success- hicle (HAUV). Unlike other AUVs, the ful support has been SafetyNet Tech- “Sun? sh” is capable of mapping and nologies. Currently, one in every ? ve monitoring its environment to create ? sh caught is the wrong species leading its own mission plan. This dramatically to more than 27 million tons of wasted re? nes what can be accomplished au- ? sh and depleting economic and eco- tonomously, exploring diverse systems logical sources for communities all from coral reefs to the undersides of over the globe. Dan Watson, founder glaciers. The Sun? sh may also prove to of SafetyNet, and his team developed a be an enabling technology for scaling light emitting device that helps ? sher- aquaculture and wind power by simpli- men and women identify the right ? sh. fying inspections and maintenance.

This device has the ability to lower by- In just the past two years, SMTP has catch by 90% and increase revenue by aided a wide breadth of ocean technol- 25%—saving more ? sh, helping peo- ogy and conservation companies to ple, and protecting a vital food source. reach their potential, creating both a

In order to offer experimental ? ex- virtual and a physical hub for the ocean ibility their devices span different ge- community. ometries and sizes and can be ? tted All together, the impressive group to any kind of ? sh capture equipment. of grantees presented their latest at the

Most of the devices that they produce SMTP showcase, sharing their aspira- also have a degree of programmability, tions to a group of investors looking to in order to allow speci? cations such as fund ways to make a difference. “One emitted wavelength, ? ash-rate and in- of the most encouraging things we tensity of light to be set by scientists. heard from people after the event was

By producing tools that are simple, that they left with a bit more hope about standardized, and ? exible, Dan and his our ability to solve ocean challenges,” team hope to rapidly increase the un- says Schrope, “And that’s exactly what derstanding of how light can alter the we were aiming for.”

SMTP awardees.

Credit: SMTP www.marinetechnologynews.com

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