An Autonomous Sail-Powered System for Non-Invasive Multimodal Marine Monitoring
CWSF · 2026 Natural Resources Gold Medal
Overview
Much of the ocean remains unmonitored, allowing harmful human activities such as illegal fishing to drive marine ecosystem collapse. To address this, an autonomous, sail-powered trimaran was developed as a low-cost platform for scalable ocean surveillance. The vessel follows adjustable routes and transmits data to shore while using cameras and hydrophones to detect vessel activity and marine wildlife. By using machine learning to combine surface and underwater sensing in a single system, it can monitor areas that are typically difficult and expensive to observe. This approach demonstrates how autonomous, low-cost technology could expand access to ocean monitoring and support more effective marine conservation.
Awards (3)
- Challenge Award
- Gold Medal
- Selected for CWSF 2026
Competition history
- CWSF 2026
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