Ocean drone and sensor manufacturer Sofar Ocean Technologies has unveiled its new autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), Strider, which is designed to make ocean data collection more accessible.

Built to operate in coastal, near-shore and inland waters, the Sofar Strider can operate autonomously or remote-controlled through the internet—while integrating with a variety of sensors—thanks to the combination of autonomous navigation, solar power, and a modular design. 

The ASV supports customizable payloads, and it is capable of collecting real-time video from above and below the waterline.

“Our goal is to enable a rapid increase in data density in critical regions of our global ocean and along our coastlines. Strider is an important step toward that goal,” says Tim Janssen, Sofar co-founder and CEO.

“It combines a unique focus on autonomy, modularity, and scalability that provides unprecedented flexibility, affordability and ease-of-use to marine data collection.”

According to Sofar, Strider will be available for “mission days” starting in December. During mission days, a Sofar technician will manage deployment and data collection for the needs of customers.