Ulysses Deploys Modular Ocean Drones to Cut Subsea Defense Costs

a16z

The AI-driven surge in subsea energy and communications demands low-cost, continuous underwater robotics to replace legacy defense systems and secure vulnerable maritime infrastructure.

AI-assisted summary of The Ocean Company - Ulysses | a16z American Dynamism — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2026-09-03

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by a16z on August 5, 2026, this video showcases Ulysses, an underwater robotics company featured on the American Dynamism platform. According to the page description, the company is building autonomous subsea vehicle fleets to serve as a technology platform for ocean ecosystem restoration, critical infrastructure inspection, and maritime defense.

## TL;DR Ulysses was founded three years ago to scale marine conservation—starting with automated seagrass restoration—before expanding into subsea infrastructure and national security. To overcome the high cost and reliability issues of off-the-shelf unmanned underwater vehicles, the team developed a custom, highly modular hardware architecture built for rapid field swapping and extreme seawater durability. Driven by the AI supercycle's demand for subsea cables, energy, and minerals, as well as a military shift toward low-cost, asymmetric drone fleets, Ulysses is scaling hardware production rapidly. Their long-term vision is to become 'The Ocean Company,' deploying persistent 24/7 autonomous subsea constellations analogous to modern satellite networks.

## Atmosphere & style The video carries an ambitious, mission-driven atmosphere that blends high-stakes technological optimism with grounded engineering pragmatism. It conveys a clear sense of urgency surrounding geopolitical security and climate resilience, contrasting harsh ocean realities with innovative solutions. The narrative feels forward-looking and gritty, framing the deep sea as humanity's final frontier while evoking the bold, hardware-centric ethos of pioneering aerospace companies.

## Key takeaways - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) The ocean remains largely unexplored, yet subsea demand for cables, critical minerals, and offshore energy is rapidly expanding due to the AI supercycle. - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) Ulysses envisions an autonomous subsea transition over the next 10 to 15 years, similar to self-driving cars on land and drones in the air. - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) High demand for subsea autonomous platforms across commercial and defense sectors has made the company severely supply-limited rather than demand-limited. - [00:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=20s) Rising geopolitical tensions emphasize the need to protect vulnerable subsea infrastructure like shipping lanes, pipelines, and communications cables. - [00:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=20s) Ulysses has developed autonomous drones capable of detecting and disarming subsea explosive mines in high-risk zones. - [00:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=20s) Modern asymmetric warfare is shifting defense strategy from high-cost legacy systems toward scalable, low-cost autonomous drone fleets. - [00:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=40s) Ulysses originated from a need to mechanize seagrass restoration after existing UUV options proved astronomically expensive. - [00:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=40s) To survive harsh ocean conditions and iterate rapidly, Ulysses brought mechanical machining in-house and engineered a custom modular hardware architecture. - [00:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=40s) Vehicles feature standardized module interfaces allowing custom field reconfiguration with extra batteries, thrusters, or sonar arrays within 20 minutes. - [00:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=7s) The long-term vision is a permanent 24/7 autonomous subsea vehicle network operating as persistent ocean infrastructure similar to satellite constellations. - [00:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=7s) Operating as "The Ocean Company," Ulysses aims to replicate SpaceX's impact on spaceflight within the maritime domain.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) The Oceans as the Next Frontier for Robotics

The ocean remains an overwhelming mystery despite humanity's technological progress. Historical commentary notes that thousands of fleets sweep across the sea in vain, and humanity still knows far less about the deep oceans from which we originated than about the skies above. Ulysses was founded three years ago with a mission to change this dynamic by leveraging advanced underwater robotics. While the company initially set out to solve a specific problem—massively scaling up underwater ecosystem restoration—the founders quickly realized that almost every aspect of human ocean activity requires scaling. High costs and technical difficulty have long been severe limiting factors across natural conservation, offshore industry, and defense.

Driven by the modern AI supercycle, subsea demand is surging across multiple sectors simultaneously. The expansion of AI requires more subsea communications cables, critical minerals, and offshore energy—resources for which the ocean is a primary provider. Ulysses envisions that within 10 to 15 years, autonomous robots will manage every operational domain, echoing the transition already seen with self-driving cars on land and delivery drones in the sky. Demand for these subsea platforms has exploded across both commercial and defense sectors, creating a market where the company is severely supply-limited rather than demand-limited. Clients are clamoring for reliable, cost-effective vehicles that can be deployed at a meaningful scale.

- The global ocean remains largely unexplored, yet demands on its resources are rapidly expanding. - Subsea cables, energy extraction, and critical mineral mining are facing unprecedented demand due to the AI supercycle. - Ulysses aims to shift the ocean domain toward autonomous operation, mirroring autonomous vehicle adoption on land and in the air.

[00:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=20s) Geopolitical Realities and Asymmetric Maritime Warfare

Geopolitical tensions are reshaping ocean security, bringing subsea infrastructure into the global spotlight. Media reports highlight volatile maritime hotspots like the Strait of Hormuz, where news outlets have questioned whether crucial shipping lanes can be kept clear of naval mines. In response to these vulnerabilities, Ulysses has developed autonomous drones engineered to detect and disarm subsea explosive mines. Beyond mine countermeasures, subsea cables face threats of tapping or sabotage, and offshore pipelines remain exposed to deliberate attacks. While maritime workers have long recognized these vulnerabilities, rising oil prices and supply chain disruptions are finally bringing subsea risks to mainstream public awareness.

At the same time, the fundamental nature of warfare is shifting away from traditional, centralized command structures toward distributed, autonomous systems. Over the past 50 years, the U.S. military invested heavily in exquisite, high-cost defense systems that are no longer sufficient for future conflicts. Modern warfare is increasingly asymmetric, allowing small, inexpensive unmanned systems to neutralize multi-million-dollar high-value assets—a trend vividly demonstrated in recent land and sea conflicts such as Ukraine. Achieving sea control requires low-cost, scalable underwater drones that can operate continuously in hostile environments.

- NewsNation coverage highlights Ulysses' capability to detect and disarm subsea mines in high-risk zones like the Strait of Hormuz. - Emerging maritime threats include subsea cable tapping, pipeline sabotage, and naval mine placement. - U.S. defense strategy is pivoting from high-cost, exquisite legacy systems toward scalable, low-cost autonomous drone fleets.

[00:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=40s) From Seagrass Restoration to Modular Hardware Engineering

Ulysses originated from a remarkably simple observation off the stormy coast of Scotland. Co-founder Jamie Wedderburn was walking with a friend involved in marine conservation who explained that seagrass restoration was still done manually—boating out in awful, rainy weather and throwing handfuls of seeds over the side of a boat. The founders realized this process could be mechanized and initially set out to build seed-planting attachments for existing underwater vehicles. However, when researching off-the-shelf unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), they found the commercial options astronomically expensive—costing orders of magnitude more than their custom attachments—making existing platforms totally unfeasible for widespread use.

``` +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Ulysses Modular Architecture | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [ Sensor / Sonar Module ] <---> [ Core Battery ] <---> [ Thruster ] | | | | Standardized Module Connection: | | * 2 Pairs of Power Pins (Full Battery Voltage) | | * High-Speed Data Connector | | * 20-Minute Field Swap Capability | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ```

To solve the cost and reliability challenge, Jamie applied his background in aerial drones to design a custom marine robotics architecture from the ground up. Operating in seawater presented extreme engineering challenges, as salt water is inherently corrosive and constantly threatens to flood internal electronics—as the team puts it, "the ocean is always trying to kill you." To rapidly iterate against these harsh conditions, Ulysses brought all mechanical machining in-house, enabling engineers to design a part one day, fabricate it the next, and test it immediately in real water. Listening to customer feedback, they prioritized extreme hardware modularity:

- Every module utilizes a standardized interface featuring two pairs of power pins delivering full battery voltage alongside a central data connector. - Vehicles can be custom-configured in the field within 20 minutes, allowing operators to add extra battery packs, additional thrusters for steerability, or multi-beam echo sounders and sonar arrays. - Rapid real-world water testing provides superior feedback compared to digital simulations, taking advantage of open ocean access to iterate faster than aerospace hardware companies.

[00:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=7s) Building the Infrastructure of the World's Oceans

The ultimate vision for Ulysses is to establish a permanent, interconnected network of surface and undersea autonomous vehicles operating 24/7 across the globe. Rather than deploying robots for single, temporary missions, Ulysses is building subsea robotics into persistent infrastructure—creating an underwater layer equivalent to the satellite constellations operating above Earth. By fundamentally changing how humans monitor and interact with marine ecosystems, the company aims to solve critical defense, industrial, and environmental challenges simultaneously.

Reflecting on humanity's deep biological connection to the sea—referencing the historical observation that human blood contains the exact same percentage of salt as the ocean—the team views the sea as the planet's last great frontier. Ulysses explicitly adopts the moniker "The Ocean Company," aiming to achieve for maritime space what SpaceX accomplished for spaceflight. Within 5 to 10 years, the company intends to become synonymous with ocean technology, building massive, continuous fleets that enable humanity to responsibly utilize subsea resources while actively restoring marine environments.

- The ultimate operational goal is a 24/7 autonomous network of surface and subsea vehicles acting as fixed ocean infrastructure. - Ulysses aims to become "The Ocean Company," mirroring SpaceX's role in the space industry. - Strategic focus remains on operating continuous fleets that handle ecosystem restoration, infrastructure inspection, and maritime defense simultaneously.

## Notable quotes > [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) thousands of fleets sweep across the sea in vain, and humanity still knows far less about the deep oceans from which we originated than about the skies above.

> [00:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=40s) the ocean is always trying to kill you.

> [00:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=7s) human blood contains the exact same percentage of salt as the ocean

## Mentioned Ulysses, Jamie Wedderburn, Will O'Brien, Akhil Voorakkara, a16z, American Dynamism, NewsNation, SpaceX, Strait of Hormuz, Scotland, U.S. Military

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o)

中文简报

Ulysses部署模块化海洋无人机以削减水下防务成本人工智能推动的海底能源与通信需求激增，亟需低成本、不间断作业的水下机器人来替代传统防务系统，并保障脆弱海洋基础设施的安全。 Ulysses成立于三年前，最初致力于扩大海洋保护规模（从自动化海草床修复起步），随后逐步拓展至海底基础设施与国家安全领域。为解决现成无人潜航器成本高昂与可靠性不足的问题，该团队开发了定制的高度模块化硬件架构，专为快速现场更换部件以及应对极端海水耐用性而设计。在AI超级周期对海底光缆、能源与矿产的需求，以及军方转向低成本、不对称无人机舰队的趋势推动下，Ulysses正在迅速扩大硬件生产规模。他们的长期愿景是成为“海洋公司”（The Ocean Company），部署类似于现代卫星网络的7×24小时全天候自主海底星座。海洋大部分区域仍有待探索，但在AI超级周期的推动下，对海底光缆、关键矿产和海上能源的需求正在快速增长。 (0:06) Ulysses设想在未来10至15年内实现水下自主化转型，类似于陆地上的自动驾驶汽车和空中的无人机。 (0:06) 商业和防务领域对水下自主平台的强劲需求，使得该公司严重受限于产能供应而非市场需求。 (0:06) 地缘政治局势的升温，凸显出保护航道、管道和通信光缆等脆弱海底基础设施的必要性。 (0:20) Ulysses已开发出能够在高风险区域探测并排除水下爆炸性水雷的自主无人机。 (0:20)

Reading summary

Autonomous marine robotics startup Ulysses is developing modular, low-cost underwater vehicles to address critical operational bottlenecks across commercial ocean industries, defense, and ecosystem restoration. Surging Subsea Demand Driven by AI and Resources (0:06) Despite covering most of the planet, the deep oceans remain largely unmapped and technically difficult to access, constrained by historically high operational costs. Ulysses reports that demand for subsea platforms is now sharply increasing, spurred by the infrastructure requirements of the modern AI cycle. Expanding AI deployment requires vast networks of subsea communications cables, critical mineral extraction, and offshore energy sources, positioning the ocean as a primary supply zone. Ulysses states that the market for autonomous subsea platforms is currently supply-limited rather than demand-limited. Asymmetric Threats and the Shift in Maritime Warfare (0:20) Geopolitical friction in critical shipping choke points, such as the Strait of Hormuz, has elevated the visibility of maritime vulnerabilities, including subsea naval mines, communications cable tapping, and pipeline sabotage. Media reports highlight that Ulysses has engineered autonomous drones aimed at detecting and disarming underwater explosive mines to secure these routes. At the same time, military doctrine is shifting away from centralized, high-cost platforms toward distributed and low-cost unmanned fleets. Over the past 50 years, the U.S. military prioritized exquisite legacy defense systems, but recent conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere indicate that inexpensive unmanned vehicles can neutralize multi-million-dollar assets. Sustaining sea control in modern asymmetric warfare increasingly relies on scalable underwater drones capable of continuous operation in high-threat environments. Modular Engineering Born from Marine Conservation (0:40) Ulysses originated from marine conservation efforts off Scotland, where co-founder Jamie Wedderburn observed that seagrass restoration was still conducted manually by throwing seeds from boats. Finding commercial unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) prohibitively expensive—costing orders of magnitude more than custom planting attachments—the founders leveraged aerial drone principles to build an in-house marine robotics architecture from the ground up. To counter the corrosive nature of seawater and internal flooding risks, Ulysses brought all mechanical machining in-house to test iterations directly in open water rather than relying on digital simulations. Based on customer input, the company implemented a standardized hardware interface featuring two pairs of power pins delivering full battery voltage alongside a central data connector. This architecture permits operators to swap components—including multi-beam echo sounders, sonar arrays, thrusters, and additional batteries—in the field within 20 minutes. Persistent Underwater Infrastructure and Long-Term Scale (0:07) Rather than deploying individual vehicles for intermittent, single-purpose missions, Ulysses plans to build an interconnected, 24/7 global network of surface and undersea autonomous drones. The company envisions this operational layer functioning like satellite constellations in orbit, serving as fixed marine infrastructure for defense, natural ecosystem restoration, and industrial monitoring simultaneously. Ulysses projects that autonomous systems will manage every ocean domain within 10 to 15 years, aiming to build large-scale continuous fleets that mirror the industry-defining role SpaceX achieved in spaceflight. Ulysses frames subsea autonomous robotics as essential infrastructure for global security, AI expansion, and environmental management. However, achieving this vision hinges on scaling hardware manufacturing fast enough to satisfy demand while operating reliably in corrosive, high-pressure ocean conditions.

精炼阅读摘要

水下机器人初创公司 Ulysses 致力于通过自研的低成本模块化潜航器破除海洋作业的技术与成本壁垒，以应对人工智能算力扩张与非对称海战对水下物理设施及防务安全带来的全新需求。该公司主张将离散的潜航任务升级为常态化水下基础设施，并计划在未来五至十五年内构建覆盖全球的自主水下作业网络。 AI超算周期与海洋资源开采需求 (0:06) 人类历史上对海洋深处的认知始终滞后于太空探索，但海洋相关产业受制于高昂成本与技术门槛的现状正在发生变化。Ulysses 创立于三年前，最初旨在以规模化方式推进水下生态修复，但其创始团队很快意识到，无论是海洋保护、离岸工业还是国防安全，整个人类涉海领域均急需低成本的规模化作业能力。随着现代人工智能超级周期的展开，计算扩张对海底通信光缆、关键矿产以及离岸能源的需求同步激增，使海洋成为承载关键基础设施的核心空间。面对激增的市场需求，Ulysses 透露当前水下机器人行业处于严重的“供给受限”而非“需求受限”状态，客户迫切寻求能够规模化部署且成本可控的稳定平台。基于这一趋势，公司预计在未来 10 至 15 年内，水下作业领域将复制陆上自动驾驶和空中无人机的普及进程，全面转向由自主机器人掌控各项任务的运作模式。非对称海战转型与关键水下命脉防御 (0:20) 地缘政治局势的持续恶化将水下安全推向前台，霍尔木兹海峡等关键航道的安全保障成为国际焦点。随着油价波动与供应链扰动加剧，公众逐渐意识到海底通信光缆面临窃听和人为破坏的隐患，离岸油气管道亦处于潜在袭击威胁之下。针对此类防御痛点，Ulysses 研制了可在高风险海域自主侦测并拆除水下爆炸水雷的自主无人平台。与此同时，现代海战正经历从中心化指挥向分布式自主系统的根本转变。乌克兰等地的近期冲突表明，低成本的小型无人系统足以抵消或摧毁价值数百万美元的高价值装备。行业分析指出，美军在过去 50 年中重金投资的高成本“精良装备体系”在未来冲突中已显不足，确立海上控制权越来越依赖能够在严苛敌对环境中长期运作、具备规模化生产能力的低成本自主水下机群。源自海草播种的模块化硬件与快速实测 (0:40) Ulysses 的硬件研发始于联合创始人 Jamie Wedderburn 在苏格兰沿海的实地观察。当时海洋保护工作者仍采用人工乘船在恶劣风雨中抛撒海草种子的作业模式，团队最初计划为市售无人潜航器（UUV）研制自动化播种配件，却发现当时市售 UUV 的单台价格极为昂贵，比定制播种组件高出数个数量级，从经济角度完全无法支持规模化作业。为解决成本与耐用性瓶颈，Wedderburn 结合过往的空中无人机工程经验构建了定制化海洋机器人架构。针对海水高腐蚀性及易发生电路浸水损坏的物理特性，Ulysses 建立了全套内部机械加工能力，实现了“当天完成零件设计、次日加工成型并立即投入真实水域测试”的高频迭代流程，其反馈效率明显优于单纯的数字模拟。在架构设计上，该系统采用严格的模块化标准：各模块配备两对提供全电池电压的电源引脚与中心高速数据接口，现场操作员可在 20 分钟内完成快速组装与构型调整，自由选配扩容电池组、转向推进器或多波束测深仪与声呐阵列。构建全天候运作的全球海洋自主网络 (0:07) Ulysses 的长远目标并非执行零散的单次作业，而是在全球海面与水下部署由自主潜航器构成的 24/7 全天候互联网络。该构想旨在建立一套相当于轨道低轨卫星星座的水下长效常态化数据与作业层，将机器人打造为标准化的海洋常态基础设施，从而同步服务于海洋生态监测、工业设施巡检与海上防务。该团队将海洋视作地球最后的物理前沿，并以“海洋公司”（The Ocean Company）作为自身定位，明确提出要在未来 5 至 10 年内成为海洋科技的代表性企业，复制 SpaceX 在航天产业实现的技术突破。Ulysses 计划依靠庞大的常态化自主舰队，在支撑人类负责任地开发水下关键资源的同时，为大规模海洋生态环境修复提供工业化技术支撑。 Ulysses 展现了利用低成本、高度模块化的水下无人系统替代昂贵传统装备并解决 AI 基础设施与国防痛点的清晰路径。然而，其设想的 24/7 全球全天候水下常态化网络，在深海长期高压腐蚀环境、水下长距通信延迟以及能源持续供给等极端物理挑战下，能否在 5 至 10 年的时间窗口内实现工业级的大规模稳定部署，仍有待更长期的实际验证。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 本视频由知名风险投资机构 a16z 于 2026 年 8 月 6 日在 YouTube 平台的 American Dynamism 专栏发布。内容重点介绍了水下自主机器人企业 Ulysses，展示其如何通过打造低成本、可规模化常驻部署的自主无人潜航器舰队，应对全球对海底通信光缆、离岸能源、关键矿产巡检以及海洋国防安全的迫切需求，致力于成为重塑海洋交互的技术平台。 ## TL;DR Ulysses 的创立源自团队在苏格兰风雨中手工播种海草的经历，面对传统水下航行器极其高昂的价格，团队借鉴空中无人机研发思维与全自研机加工，打造出可在 20 分钟内完成声呐和电池快速快拆替换的模块化潜航器。随着 AI 超级周期对海底光缆扩容的需求爆发，以及中东航道争端与非对称水下战争催生的排雷与安防需求，低成本、分布式的自主潜航器正在替代传统昂贵集中式的军事与工业装备。Ulysses 目前处于产能受限的高速扩张期，商业与国防订单需求旺盛。团队的长期愿景是成为“海洋界的 SpaceX”，让不知疲倦的自主机器人舰队布满全球水域，构建全域常驻的深海基础设施并修复海洋生态。 ## Atmosphere & style 全片将历史档案的厚重宿命感与硬核前沿工程的快节奏实干氛围紧密融合，开篇引用肯尼迪名言奠定了探索未知边疆的深邃基调。叙事在苏格兰暴风雨播种的草根创业故事、严酷车间快速打样下水测试的工程师日常，以及地缘政治博弈与非对称海战的紧迫现实之间自如切换。观感既有 a16z 工业雄心叙事带来的振奋与敏锐商业张力，又饱含对深海这一最后未开发疆域的敬畏与浪漫情怀。 ## Bulletin - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) Ulysses 通过全自研降本与无人机工程思维切入水下机器人领域，受 AI 超级周期对海缆、矿产与能源的爆发式需求驱动，公司已进入“产能受限而非需求受限”的发展阶段。 - [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 地缘政治冲突正重构海洋安全，海洋非对称战争驱动传统高昂昂贵的“精致系统”加速转向具备扫雷与巡检能力的低成本分布式自主潜航器。 - [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) Ulysses 打造内建机加工与标准化机电接口，实现“今日设计、次日下海”的极速迭代，并支持多波束测深仪及推进器等载荷在 20 分钟内即插即用完成切换。 - [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 公司的长期愿景是成为“海洋界的 SpaceX”，构建由水面与水下无人集群组成的 7×24 小时常驻自主网络，作为全球海洋的基础设施。 ## Key takeaways - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) Ulysses 最初旨在以低成本进行海草生态修复，随后发现水下高昂的作业门槛严重限制了整个海洋工业与国防领域的规模化发展。 - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) AI 算力超级周期催生了对海底光缆扩容、深海关键矿物勘探与海上能源基础设施的爆发式需求，推动水下无人潜航器成为紧缺资源。 - [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 霍尔木兹海峡等关键航道的水雷威胁，叠加海缆窃听与海底油气管道破坏风险，促使海洋基础设施防御成为国际安全焦点。 - [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 美军过去五十年依赖的高精尖、高成本装备面对现代新型冲突显露局限，乌克兰战场的非对称作战验证了低成本小型无人装备的实战威慑力。 - [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 因市面现有商用无人水下潜航器（UUV）价格昂贵，团队将天空无人机工程经验引入水下，决定进行整机全栈自研。 - [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 面对海水强腐蚀与高压浸润风险，Ulysses 建立内部机械加工闭环，坚持以即时下水测试取代复杂仿真，大幅缩短工程验证周期。 - [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 潜航器采用统一的高压电源引脚与高速数据接头架构，使外加推进器、扩展电池模块或声呐等任务载荷可在 20 分钟内完成快速拆装。 - [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 未来海洋将形成由水面无人艇和水下无人潜航器构成的常驻舰队，如同太空中的卫星网络一样成为全天候自主运转的固定基础设施。 - [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 团队致力于在 5 到 10 年内将 Ulysses 打造成深海领域的代名词，重塑人类理解、利用与回馈海洋生态的方式。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) 未知的深海与 Ulysses 的创立契机人类对孕育生命的海洋依然知之甚少。正如历史影像中肯尼迪名言所指出的，人类对自己起源的深海，甚至比头顶的天空还要陌生，成千上万的船队在浩瀚海面上徒劳穿梭。现在是时候借助强大的新型海洋探索仪器，去推开环绕全球水域中的未知边界了。三年前创立的 Ulysses，最初目标非常具体：希望以低成本、大规模的方式恢复水下生态系统。然而在深入该领域的过程中，团队意识到面临规模化瓶颈的远不止生态修复这一项工作。长期以来，水下作业高昂的成本与极高的技术门槛，不仅限制了自然保护，也严重制约了海上工业和国防安全的发展。随着 AI 超级周期的爆发，全球对海底光缆（Subsea Cables）、关键矿产（Critical Minerals）以及能源的需求呈爆发式增长，而海洋恰恰是这些核心资源的聚集地。就像十到十五年后的未来在陆地上有自动驾驶汽车、空中有点对点配送无人机一样，各类机器人将接管所有领域。Ulysses 的定位正是为海洋打造这些自主机器人，并且目前公司已经处于“产能受限而非需求受限”的状态，商业与国防两端客户都急需低成本、高可靠、能规模化部署的作业车辆。 - **市场供需现状**：商业级与国防级客户需求旺盛，迫切需要成本足够低、可规模化采购且具备真正水下作业能力的无人潜航器。 - **驱动要素**：AI 产业爆发驱动的海底光缆网络扩容、深海关键矿物勘探与海上可再生/传统能源基础设施维护。 --- ### [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 地缘政治震荡与海洋非对称战争当前国际局势动荡，海洋正处于地缘政治重构的风口浪尖。霍尔木兹海峡（Strait of Hormuz）的脆弱停火与航道争端频繁引发全球关注。新闻报道提及，Ulysses 研发的水下无人机不仅能够探测航道中布设的水雷，更关键的是具备直接排除、拆卸水雷的能力。从水雷隐患到海底光缆被窃听、海底油气管道遭遇破坏爆炸，这些原本深藏水下的安全威胁，因直接影响国际油价和全球通信，被推向公众舆论的前沿。战争形态正在发生根本性转变：从过去的集中化、重型化走向分布式、自主化与非对称化。美军在过去五十年中投入巨资研发建造的高精尖但昂贵的系统（Exquisite Systems），面对未来新型冲突已显露出局限性。乌克兰战场已经向世界证明，体量小、成本极低的无人系统能够有效摧毁极其昂贵的高价值资产；这一趋势必将在广袤的海洋领域重演。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 海洋安全与技术范式转变 accDescr: 展示从传统高昂集中化武器装备向新型低成本、自主化无人机集群的作战与防御模式转变 subgraph OldParadigm ["传统海事与国防模式"] A["高昂且复杂的集中式装备 (Exquisite Systems)"] --> B["高成本、维护艰难、数量受限"] end subgraph NewParadigm ["分布式非对称未来"] C["小型低成本自主潜航器 (UUV / 水下无人机)"] --> D["分布式自主部署与反水雷/巡检"] D --> E["保护关键基础设施：海缆、管道与航道"] end B -.->|"乌克兰战场战术验证 & 成本倒逼"| C ``` - **非对称对抗**：以低成本小型无人平台对抗高价值海上舰艇与关键设施，成为现代海战的必然方向。 - **核心防御靶标**：确保霍尔木兹海峡等全球咽喉航道的反水雷扫雷作业，以及海底通信光缆和能源管线的常态化巡检。 --- ### [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 从苏格兰风雨中的海草种植到模块化无人潜航器 Ulysses 的技术突破源于一次极具戏剧性的现场考察。联合创始人 Jamie 曾和朋友冒着暴风雨在苏格兰海岸进行海草（Seagrass）生态修复，现场的作业方式极其原始粗糙——仅靠人工抓起一把种子从船舷边扔进海里。团队立刻萌生了将这一过程机械化、自动化的想法，并着手设计可以潜水播种海草的机器人附加装置。然而，当他们去市面上寻找可用的无人水下航行器（UUV）底盘时，发现现有商用设备的价格“高得离谱”，比他们自制机械部件的成本高出数个数量级。这促使具有无人机技术背景的联合创始人将天空无人机的工程思维引入水下，决定全自研整机。海水环境极其恶劣，具有强腐蚀性，并且“无时无刻不在试图摧毁机械结构并淹没内部电子设备”。为了加速软硬件研发闭环，Ulysses 将机械加工工序全面转为自研内建（In-house Machining），实现前一天设计、第二天加工制造并立即下水验证的极速迭代。面对客户对适配不同任务的强烈诉求，团队确立了高度标准化与模块化的架构。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Ulysses 模块化硬件接口架构 accDescr: 展示潜航器标准化接口如何支持传感器与推进模块的 20 分钟快速拆装 subgraph StandardInterface ["标准化物理与电气接口"] direction TB P["两对高压电源针脚 (Full Battery Voltage)"] D["专用高速数据通信接头 (Full Data Connection)"] end subgraph ModularPayloads ["即插即用任务模块 (20分钟快速配置)"] direction TB M1["多波束测深测线仪 (Multi-beam Echo Sounder) / 声呐"] M2["扩展电池模块 (增程巡航)"] M3["外加推进器 (Extra Thrusters 增强操控机动性)"] end StandardInterface --> ModularPayloads ``` - **极速实地验证优于仿真**：与进入门槛极高的航天领域不同，地球表面大部分被海水覆盖，只要原型机下水，即可获得比任何模拟仿真都更真实的即时反馈。 - **20 分钟配置切换**：机身统一配备标准化接口（两对电源引脚与数据连接器），前置声呐或多波束测深仪可在 20 分钟内完成即插即用升级。 --- ### [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) “海洋界的 SpaceX”：构建全域自主常驻网络 Ulysses 的宏大愿景不仅是造出几台水下设备，而是要彻底重塑人类在海洋中的行动范式。未来的海洋将布满互联的水面无人艇与水下无人航行器集群，它们 7×24 小时不知疲倦地自主运转，承担基础设施巡检、国防安全护航与生态系统监测。就像人类如今习惯了头顶太空中密布的通信与侦察卫星一样，自主潜航器舰队将成为全球海洋中无形却不可或缺的“固定基础设施”。团队借用了肯尼迪在美洲杯帆船赛演说中的经典生物学隐喻：“我们所有人血管中流淌的血液，与海洋中的盐分比例完全一致——我们终究来自海洋。”对这一最后的未开发边疆，Ulysses 的终极目标是将其探索、理解并守护起来。海事的未来属于“同时无处不在运转的机器集群”（Fleets that are operating everywhere all at once）。Ulysses 团队以“The Ocean Company”（海洋公司）自居，希望在未来 5 到 10 年内，使 Ulysses 成为深海领域的绝对代名词，正如 SpaceX 成为太空探索的代名词一样——通过技术飞跃让人类从海洋中获取更多价值，同时也向海洋生态回馈更多生机。 ## Notable quotes > [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) 人类对自己起源的深海，甚至比头顶的天空还要陌生，成千上万的船队在浩瀚海面上徒劳穿梭。 > [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) 不仅限制了自然保护，也严重制约了海上工业和国防安全的发展。 > [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=6s) 产能受限而非需求受限 > [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 战争形态正在发生根本性转变：从过去的集中化、重型化走向分布式、自主化与非对称化。 > [02:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=137s) 乌克兰战场已经向世界证明，体量小、成本极低的无人系统能够有效摧毁极其昂贵的高价值资产；这一趋势必将在广袤的海洋领域重演。 > [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 无时无刻不在试图摧毁机械结构并淹没内部电子设备 > [04:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=250s) 与进入门槛极高的航天领域不同，地球表面大部分被海水覆盖，只要原型机下水，即可获得比任何模拟仿真都更真实的即时反馈。 > [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 我们所有人血管中流淌的血液，与海洋中的盐分比例完全一致——我们终究来自海洋。 > [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 同时无处不在运转的机器集群 > [07:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o&t=425s) 希望在未来 5 到 10 年内，使 Ulysses 成为深海领域的绝对代名词，正如 SpaceX 成为太空探索的代名词一样——通过技术飞跃让人类从海洋中获取更多价值，同时也向海洋生态回馈更多生机。 ## Mentioned Ulysses, a16z, Will O'Brien, Akhil Voorakkara, Jamie Wedderburn, NewsNation, SpaceX, 肯尼迪 (John F. Kennedy), 霍尔木兹海峡 (Strait of Hormuz) ## Video description Ulysses is building autonomous underwater robots to become the technology platform for the world's oceans. From restoring underwater ecosystems to inspecting critical infrastructure and supporting maritime security, the company is rethinking how humans interact with the ocean. As demand grows for subsea cables, offshore energy, critical minerals, and defense capabilities, Ulysses is building autonomous fleets designed to operate continuously beneath the waves. GUEST SOCIALS Learn more about Ulysses: https://www.theoceancompany.com/ Follow Ulysses: https://x.com/UlyssesInc Follow Will O'Brien on X: https://x.com/Willob Follow Akhil Voorakkara on X: https://x.com/Mr_Voorakkara Follow Jamie Wedderburn on X: https://x.com/Jamedderburn Footage courtesy of NewsNation [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1W8vOxv5o)

Source quotes

[0:06] 人类对自己起源的深海，甚至比头顶的天空还要陌生，成千上万的船队在浩瀚海面上徒劳穿梭。 [0:06] 不仅限制了自然保护，也严重制约了海上工业和国防安全的发展。 [0:06] 产能受限而非需求受限 [2:17] 战争形态正在发生根本性转变：从过去的集中化、重型化走向分布式、自主化与非对称化。 [2:17] 乌克兰战场已经向世界证明，体量小、成本极低的无人系统能够有效摧毁极其昂贵的高价值资产；这一趋势必将在广袤的海洋领域重演。 [4:10] 无时无刻不在试图摧毁机械结构并淹没内部电子设备 [4:10] 与进入门槛极高的航天领域不同，地球表面大部分被海水覆盖，只要原型机下水，即可获得比任何模拟仿真都更真实的即时反馈。 [7:05] 我们所有人血管中流淌的血液，与海洋中的盐分比例完全一致——我们终究来自海洋。 [7:05] 同时无处不在运转的机器集群 [7:05] 希望在未来 5 到 10 年内，使 Ulysses 成为深海领域的绝对代名词，正如 SpaceX 成为太空探索的代名词一样——通过技术飞跃让人类从海洋中获取更多价值，同时也向海洋生态回馈更多生机。

Source quotes

[0:06] thousands of fleets sweep across the sea in vain, and humanity still knows far less about the deep oceans from which we originated than about the skies above. [0:40] the ocean is always trying to kill you. [0:07] human blood contains the exact same percentage of salt as the ocean

Original transcript

[0:06] To a surprising extent, [0:08] the sea has remained a mystery. [0:11] 10,000 fleet still sweep over it in [0:13] vain. [0:14] We know less of the oceans of our deep [0:16] where we came from than we do of the sky [0:18] above our head. [0:20] It is time to change this, to use to the [0:23] full [0:24] our powerful new instruments of oceanic [0:27] exploration to drive back the frontiers [0:29] of the unknown in the waters which [0:31] encircle our globe. [0:34] >> [music] [0:47] >> We started Ulysses three years ago in [0:50] the effort to build underwater robots to [0:52] solve a very specific problem. We [0:55] [music] wanted a massively scale up [0:56] underwater ecosystem restoration, but in [1:00] >> doing that and going after that problem, [1:02] we realized that there is a lot more [1:04] than underwater ecosystem restoration [1:07] that needs to be scaled up. [1:11] >> Work underwater being expensive or [1:14] difficult was a limiting factor and not [1:16] only applications in nature, and [1:18] offshore industry and in defense, [1:19] [music] too. [1:21] >> The AI super cycle is increasing demand [1:24] for subsea cables. It's increasing [1:26] demand for critical minerals. It's [1:28] increasing demand for energy. [1:30] These are all things of which the ocean [1:32] is a primary [1:33] >> [music] [1:33] >> resource for. [1:34] >> There's going to be robots that operate [1:37] in and manage every domain 10 [music] to [1:39] 15 years from now. You see it already [1:40] happening on land with self-driving cars [1:43] and in the air [music] with delivery [1:44] drones and things like that. We're the [1:46] ones building the robots for the ocean. [1:48] >> We're already [music] pretty much supply [1:49] limited instead of demand limited, which [1:51] is a good problem to have. [1:53] >> The demand hasn't been constrained to [1:54] one domain like defense or the [1:56] commercial grade. Both sides, honestly, [1:58] people can't [music] seem to get enough. [2:00] There are so many people chomping at the [2:02] bit to have vehicles [music] that are [2:04] reliable, coming at a cost that's low [2:06] enough that they can get them at a [2:07] meaningful scale, and capable enough to [2:10] [music] actually do the things that [2:11] matter in the ocean. [2:17] >> All right, so this tenuous ceasefire in [2:20] the Middle East, negotiations have [2:22] largely centered on that crucial [2:24] shipping point, the Strait of Hormuz. [2:26] Today was an exercise in messaging [2:28] whiplash about whether or not the strait [2:31] was actually open. Is there any way to [2:33] be sure those mines have been removed? [2:35] Well, yes, according to an American [2:38] technology company. The company is [2:40] called Ulysses, and it says it's created [2:42] drones that not only can detect these [2:44] mines, but more importantly, can disarm [2:46] them. [2:48] >> There's so many things [2:49] >> [music] [2:49] >> changing in the oceans, a lot due to [2:52] this new order of geopolitics that we're [2:54] seeing coming out. Whether it's mines [2:56] being placed in the Strait of Hormuz, [2:58] and Iran [music] being unable to find [2:59] them again, or threats on the [3:02] or tapping of undersea cables, or oil [3:06] pipelines getting exploded. But, this [3:08] isn't anything new for people that have [3:10] been working on the sea for years. [3:13] >> The nature of warfare is fundamentally [3:14] changing. It's becoming more [3:15] distributed, more autonomous, [music] [3:17] less centralized. And the investments [3:19] that the United States military has made [3:21] in exquisite systems over the last 50 [3:23] years, while they have been important, [3:25] [music] they are simply not sufficient [3:27] to fight the conflicts of the future. [3:29] >> There's [music] so many things that are [3:31] happening in the ocean that often enough [3:33] go unnoticed, but now, [music] because [3:36] they're, you know, raising oil prices, [3:38] they're actually getting noticed in the [3:39] news. The sea is starting to get its [3:42] time in the sun, you could say. [3:44] >> Warfare is trending increasingly [3:46] asymmetric, where small, cheap things [3:49] can be used to take out very high-value [3:52] assets. This is what we saw in Ukraine. [3:54] This is going to happen in the ocean. [3:56] You need to make things cheaper. You [3:57] need drones. You need unmanned systems. [3:59] The maritime domain is just becoming [4:01] more and more important. [4:10] >> Jamie was walking [music] with one of [4:11] his friends who was doing seagrass [4:13] restoration. And this was off the coast [4:15] of Scotland, so [music] you can imagine [4:16] stormy weather, horrible rain, [4:19] everything. And essentially the process [4:21] for doing seagrass restoration is you [4:24] pick up a handful [music] of seeds and [4:26] chuck them off the side of a boat. The [4:28] initial kind of nugget of a thought [4:30] there was that we could mechanize this. [4:34] So we started out the company by [4:35] building these attachments [music] that [4:38] were meant to go down and plant [4:40] seagrass. [4:41] >> We looked at the price [music] of these [4:42] vehicles online and it was just [4:44] ridiculous. Compared to the cost of the [4:46] stuff that we were making, it was [4:47] multiple orders of magnitude higher. And [4:49] it just wasn't feasible for us to use [4:50] [music] an off-the-shelf unmanned [4:52] underwater vehicle. So that's when Jamie [4:55] and his drone background came in. [4:59] >> Testing in the water is a challenging [5:01] environment for robots. [music] [5:02] Specifically seawater, it wants to [5:04] destroy anything robotic that goes in [5:06] it. It's corrosive. [5:08] >> We immediately [music] discovered that [5:09] operating in the ocean works very, very [5:11] differently. The ocean is always trying [5:13] to kill you and flood whatever you put [5:14] inside it. [5:15] >> On the mechanical side of the house, we [5:17] brought machining [music] in-house [5:18] specifically so that we can design [5:19] something, make it the next day, and see [5:21] if it works. [5:22] >> We have had a lot of customer input that [5:24] the modularity is important to them. [5:26] [music] And what it enables is that they [5:27] can add the sensors they want. They can [5:30] configure in the field to add more [5:31] battery or more steerability with extra [5:33] thrusters, etc. [5:34] >> Each one of our modules has a [5:37] standardized interface. We have two pair [5:39] of pins here and a data connector here. [5:41] Every single module has that loadout, so [5:44] they can all connect together. They're [5:46] all getting full battery voltage and [5:48] full data connection across the entire [5:50] vehicle. Every single connection is [5:52] standardized. If we want to go down and [5:54] survey something with a multi-beam echo [5:56] sounder or sonar systems, [5:59] we can just strap those to the front of [6:00] it and have that capability within 20 [6:03] minutes. That's the beauty of the [6:05] modular system. [6:09] >> Real-world data is always better and [6:12] always more accurate than [music] any [6:13] sort of simulation you can do. When [6:15] going into space, [6:17] it's a lot harder to access space [6:18] [music] and just go up to test and get [6:20] your real-world space data. [6:22] It's not the case with the ocean, you [6:23] know, most of the planet is [music] [6:24] covered with it. So, we have this [6:26] advantage where if we can get something [6:28] that's ready to go in the water, we can [6:29] [music] get [6:30] the best possible feedback to iterate [6:33] on. [6:34] >> We want to actually [music] [6:35] fundamentally change how things are done [6:36] in the ocean. And that requires us to [6:38] look at the underwater ecosystem [music] [6:41] in entirely different way. [7:05] >> The broader vision of what we're doing [7:07] is that you have a network of surface [7:10] and undersea vehicles and they're [7:12] operating 24/7 to solve these critical [7:14] tasks all around the ocean. [7:18] They become fixed infrastructure in the [7:20] ocean in the same way we just accepted [7:22] that there is satellites above our [7:24] heads. [7:26] >> [music] [7:29] >> And that's where we want to push the [7:31] ocean toward. [7:34] >> Really, I don't know why it is that [7:35] [music] all of us are so committed to [7:37] the sea, [7:39] except I think it's because we all came [7:41] from the sea. [7:43] And it is an interesting biological [7:45] [music] fact [7:46] that all of us have in our veins [7:50] the exact same percentage of salt [7:53] in our blood that exists in the ocean. [7:55] >> By and large, our ocean is still [music] [7:58] a mystery. If Ulysses is successful, we [8:00] explore, understand, [8:03] and protect this last great frontier. [8:08] >> Future of maritime is fleets. [8:11] Fleets that are operating [8:13] everywhere all at once. [8:16] >> [music] [8:16] >> We like to use the moniker the ocean [8:18] company sometimes because where we want [8:20] to be in 5 10 years is a company that is [8:23] synonymous with the ocean in the way [8:25] that SpaceX is synonymous with space. We [8:27] want to be the technology company that [8:30] fulfilling its vision completely [8:32] rethinks how we [music] can act in the [8:34] ocean and enables humanity to get a lot [8:37] more out of this resource and to give a [8:39] lot more back to it. [8:42] >> [music] [8:48] [music] [8:53] [music] [9:04] [music] [9:18] [music] [9:26] [music] [9:40] >> Mhm.