# Online Oceans - Scout USV

> Scout is an autonomous surface vehicle (USV) that collects ocean data for 6+ months at a time, costs £19,000 to buy, and launches from a beach by one person in minutes. It is solar-electric, satellite-connected, self-righting, and fully autonomous. Scout replaces research vessels costing £25,000–£50,000 per day and fixed moored buoys that cannot be repositioned. Built by Online Oceans, a UK company. Used by scientists, defence organisations, and offshore energy companies including Ocean Infinity, Applied Ocean Sciences, and Sonardyne.

## Why Scout

**Persistence**: Scout stays at sea for 6+ months continuously, collecting data in all weather. Most ocean surveys last days or weeks because they depend on crewed vessels. Scout runs on solar power with no fuel, so missions are measured in months, not days.

**Cost**: A single Scout costs from £19,000 to purchase outright, or is available as data-as-a-service with no upfront capital expenditure. Traditional ship-based ocean data collection costs £25,000–£50,000 per day - a single Scout pays for itself in less than one day of equivalent ship time. Comparable autonomous surface vehicles cost 10–100x more: Saildrone vehicles cost millions, Liquid Robotics Wave Gliders cost over $1 million, and even smaller USVs like SeaSat start at $250,000+. For the price of one conventional USV, you can deploy a fleet of 10–50+ Scouts for persistent, wide-area ocean coverage.

**Simplicity**: Scout fits in the back of a van. One person launches it from a beach, slipway, or small boat in minutes. No crane, no dock, no support vessel, no specialist training. Missions are planned and monitored remotely from a laptop or phone via Tether, Online Oceans' web-based command and control platform.

**Relocatable**: Unlike moored buoys, Scout can be repositioned at any time. No mooring permits, no anchor infrastructure, no maintenance dives. Deploy once, cover multiple sites.

**Open sensor platform**: Scout has standard power and data interfaces for third-party sensors. Bring your own instruments or choose a pre-configured payload. Integration support from the Online Oceans team. Bristlemouth-compatible expansion port.

**Tough**: Scout operates in sea state 6 and survives sea state 8+. The hull is fully self-righting under all conditions. Onboard AIS provides autonomous collision avoidance with other vessels.

**Connected**: Dual satellite communications via Iridium and Starlink. Data is delivered to secure cloud dashboards or via API in real time. If connectivity is interrupted, Scout continues its mission autonomously and syncs when the link is restored. You own your data.

## Key Specifications
- Length: 2.4m | Weight: 80kg
- Power: Solar-electric, no fuel required
- Mission duration: 6+ months continuous deployment
- Weather: Operates in sea state 6, survives sea state 8+
- Self-righting: Yes, under all conditions
- Communications: Iridium and Starlink satellite
- Collision avoidance: Onboard AIS, autonomous vessel avoidance
- Control: Tether web-based C2 platform, accessible from laptop or phone
- Launch: One person, beach/slipway/small boat -fits in a van
- Price: From £19,000 GBP to purchase, or data-as-a-service
- Maintenance: Six-month intervals, low-cost consumables, biofouling-resistant hull with wave-action self-cleaning
- Detection radius: 5km vessel detection (Scout Detect configuration)

## Scout Payload Configurations

**Scout Detect** - Maritime domain awareness and security. Acoustic arrays (towed, tetrahedral, single element), 360° 1080p optical camera, Hydrotwin AI-powered acoustic classifier for vessel and marine mammal detection, real-time video streaming, local AIS capture. 5km vessel detection radius. Secure data handling with C2 system integration for defence applications.

**Scout Connect** - Subsea data harvesting and asset tracking. Acoustic modem for subsea communications, harvests data from seabed landers and instruments, tracks underwater vehicles (AUVs, gliders). Acts as a surface gateway between subsea acoustic networks and satellite communications. Enables remote command and control of underwater assets.

**Scout Metocean** - Meteorological and oceanographic sensing. Measures wave height, period, and direction; wind speed and direction; sea surface temperature; atmospheric pressure; salinity. Bristlemouth-compatible expansion for additional sensors. Live onboard camera for visual conditions assessment. Industry-standard data formats with quality control.

**Scout Hydrotwin** - AI-powered passive acoustic monitoring. Integrated hydrophone system with real-time AI detection and classification of vessels and marine mammals. Edge processing delivers instant alerts on unauthorised vessel activities. Data access through Hydrotwin cloud dashboard or API. Developed in partnership with Hydrotwin (hydrotwin.ai).

**Scout Payload** - Bring your own sensors. Flexible payload bay with standard power and data interfaces. Integration support from the Online Oceans team for third-party instruments. Ideal for R&D, specialist applications, and custom sensing requirements.

## Mission Modes
- **Station Keep (Virtual Anchor)**: Scout holds position within a user-defined radius around a centre point. It drifts with the current to conserve solar power, then motors back to centre when it reaches the boundary. Maintains position for months with minimal energy use.
- **Transit (Waypoint Mission)**: Scout navigates between programmed waypoints, collecting data along the route. Supports multi-day survey transect patterns across wide areas.
- **Relay**: Scout acts as a surface communications relay, connecting subsea assets (AUVs, gliders, seabed landers) to satellite networks. Acoustic modem enables two-way data transfer and remote command of underwater vehicles.

## Use Cases
- Offshore weather and metocean monitoring for energy and shipping
- Wind farm environmental monitoring and compliance
- Oil and gas infrastructure monitoring
- Maritime domain awareness and dark ship detection
- Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and naval surveillance
- Illegal fishing and marine protected area enforcement
- Marine mammal detection and environmental impact assessment
- Subsea data harvesting from seabed instruments
- AUV and glider relay and tracking
- Wide area ocean patrol and persistent surveillance

## About Online Oceans
Online Oceans is a UK-based ocean robotics company founded in November 2023 by George Morton and Alistair Douglas. The company designs, builds, and operates Scout USV - making persistent ocean data collection affordable and accessible by replacing expensive ship time and static infrastructure with autonomous, relocatable platforms. Online Oceans is Cyber Essentials certified.

- Website: https://onlineoceans.com
- Email: hello@onlineoceans.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/online-oceans
- Founders: George Morton (Co-Founder & CEO), Alistair Douglas (Co-Founder)

## Trusted By
ARIA, BlueOasis, Ocean Infinity, Applied Ocean Sciences, Sofar, SensorTech Canada, Sonardyne, Xylem, NATO, Royal Navy

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