Our understanding of the ocean is mostly limited to its surface. While satellites have provided extensive data, this information primarily pertains to the upper layers of water, leaving deeper insights elusive.
Although buoys, ships, and some autonomous rovers have contributed additional details, the data collected remains far less comprehensive than what satellites offer. This limitation is a challenge for various stakeholders, including fishermen, meteorologists, and offshore wind developers.
Ravi Pappu, the founder and CEO of Apeiron Labs, expressed to TechCrunch that obtaining data from beneath the ocean's surface has been a significant challenge. "The process is slow and costly, requiring ships that can be very expensive to operate," he noted.
In response to these challenges, Pappu aims to transform underwater data collection with his autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). He established Apeiron Labs in 2022 following his role as CTO at In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital branch, where he frequently encountered the persistent issue of insufficient ocean data.
Apeiron Labs is developing affordable AUVs capable of traversing 400 meters vertically in the ocean, gathering data on temperature, salinity, and acoustics multiple times a day. The company caters to both civilian and defense sectors, according to Pappu.
Recently, Apeiron Labs successfully completed a $9.5 million Series A funding round, led by Dyne Ventures, RA Capital Management, Planetary Health, and S2G Investments. Other investors included Assembly Ventures, Bay Bridge Ventures, and TFX Capital.
Measuring three feet in length and five inches in diameter, the AUVs weigh just over 20 pounds and can be launched from boats or aircraft, aligning with existing U.S. Navy equipment. Upon entering the water, the AUV connects to a cloud-based operating system to log its collected data.
As the AUV operates, it utilizes ocean models to predict its surfacing location. Once it resurfaces and reconnects with the system, the software updates its models with the newly acquired data. The AUVs are strategically spaced 10 to 20 kilometers apart, enabling them to capture data with greater resolution than traditional ship-based methods.
Apeiron envisions deploying numerous AUVs for various applications. The Pentagon could utilize them for submarine detection, while fisheries may benefit from enhanced temperature and salinity data in critical fishing areas. The overarching goal is to ensure continuous monitoring of essential ocean regions.
Pappu highlighted that Apeiron has already reduced ocean data collection costs by 100 times and aims to achieve a further reduction by a factor of 1,000 within the next year. He likens their innovation to that of small, cost-effective satellites, stating, "We envision ourselves as the CubeSat for the ocean."