In 2003, Julie Wafaie met Colin Angus. The two shared a love for the great outdoors and challenging themselves to explore nature. Their relationship was firmly established through shared experiences of ultra biking and rowing trips. In 2005, after becoming engaged, Julie and Colin planned a trip to cross the Atlantic Ocean strictly using human power. Julie became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by rowboat from one mainland to another. During that same expedition, Colin became the first person to circumnavigate the globe by rowboat.

Julie and Colin were well trained and lucky to survive that trip, especially having to navigate through Hurricane Vince. They got to see firsthand how hostile and dangerous the ocean can be. Reflecting on the hazards of the journey, Julie and Colin often spoke about how autonomous unmanned boats would be an ideal way of studying the ocean. In 2018, they founded Open Ocean Robotics, a platform using drones to safely study even the harshest ocean environments.

By 2019, Open Ocean Robotics had become the first autonomous boat company in Canada. As Canada has more shorelines than any other country, Open Ocean Robotics took up the challenge to find a way to patrol and monitor Canada’s vast shorelines safely and cost effectively. Open Ocean Robotics found the top engineers, robotic and software designers to get the project rolling. The first step was to create a drone operating system. This became what Open Ocean Robotics calls Lighthouse Control.

Through Lighthouse Control, all drone operations are easy to customize with the highest level of security while meeting the unique needs of oceanic missions. “With Lighthouse your entire organization can monitor the USV(s) and data in real time, while only allowing designated operators to control the vessel,” explains the Open Ocean Robotics website. “Additionally, access to viewing data can be controlled, allowing team members to keep track of the USV without divulging confidential data. The USV can be monitored and controlled from anywhere in the world. The software can also run offline, so the vessels can be controlled directly in the field using radio.” With an operating system in place, it was time to develop an affordable, hardy drone.

When designing a drone for oceanic missions, Julie and Colin knew it had to be able to hold up to the unrelenting environment of the ocean. It was also important to develop a drone that utilizes environmentally sound power sources for extended periods. Open Ocean Robotics’s Data Xplorer is a portable, solar powered drone with a complete suite of sensors for data collection. It has an interchangeable motor pod that gives the drone a speed range of 8-18 knots. Data Xplorer can be deployed for months at a time while sending data back to the Lighthouse Control in real time.

One of the most unique features of the Data Xplorer is the circular rollbar at the back of the vessel. It serves to help make the drone visible by other vessels in the area but also keeps the drone upright. “Its primary purpose is to assist with self-righting of the vessel,” the company explains. “This patent-pending system uses the principle of buoyancy to increase vessel instability when in the inverted position. This means we don’t need to strap a big chunk of lead to the keel of the boat, making for a lighter and more efficient vessel.” With this type of feature, the Data Xplorer can navigate even the harshest of environments.

Open Ocean Robotics has deployed the Data Xplorer for many case studies around the world. The drone is being used to safeguard the Arctic, study climate change, clean up oil spills, patrol protected marine areas, create bathymetric maps, and much more. Julie and Colin hope to be able to deploy their drones to travel the oceans as extensively as they have. And with the Data Xplorer’s robust design, the drone can survive whatever the ocean tosses its way.

Previous Drone News: