Bedrock Ocean Advances Autonomous Mapping of Seafloor with $25M Funding

Despite covering over 70% of the Earth's surface, the ocean floor remains less mapped than the moon. This is largely due to the ocean's obscurity and the difficulty of human exploration in such a harsh environment. However, advances in robotics are now enabling a clearer view of the deep sea.

Bedrock Ocean, a startup recently securing $25 million in Series A-2 funding, is pioneering autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) designed to map the seabed efficiently and with minimal environmental impact. Their AUVs operate independently for up to 12 hours using lithium-ion batteries, utilizing sonar and magnetic sensors to gather detailed data.

Traditional seabed mapping relies on large ships that consume significant fuel, require human crews, and emit sonar pulses that can disrupt marine life. In contrast, Bedrock Ocean's AUVs are launched from a ship but then operate autonomously underwater, covering twice the area of a traditional ship-based survey. A single 40-foot vessel can deploy 10 to 12 AUVs simultaneously, dramatically increasing mapping efficiency.

The AUVs use sonar frequencies outside the audible range of marine mammals and operate closer to the seafloor, reducing potential harm. Although their positioning accuracy is slightly lower than traditional GPS-based ship surveys, the speed and frequency of data collection provide valuable real-time insights for industries like offshore wind, oil and gas, and environmental monitoring.

Bedrock Ocean also developed proprietary software to operate the AUVs and process mapping data onboard. Data is stored locally and transmitted to the ship via Wi-Fi when the AUV surfaces. From there, a Starlink antenna on the ship beams the information to the cloud, enabling near real-time monitoring and decision-making.

This innovative approach has attracted attention from the U.S. Navy and various commercial sectors, impressed by the speed, quality, and environmental sensitivity of the surveys. As ocean mapping technology evolves, Bedrock Ocean’s autonomous systems represent a leap forward in understanding and responsibly managing the vast underwater frontier.