The Surveyor is a Research robot developed by Saildrone (United States), launched 2015.
Robo Index
Speculative — thin evidence
6 of 10 signals present
Recomputed nightly from public data. Missing data is skipped, never zero-filled — and rankings are never for sale.
Weighted factors
average of the 6 scored · blanks don't count
Will it fit your job?
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Overview
Surveyor is in charge of deep-water ocean mapping. Saildrone designs, builds, and operates three classes of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) capable of providing year-round ocean intelligence. Each USV class is designed for a specific task, including Surveyor for deep-water ocean mapping. Powered by renewable wind and solar energy, the vehicles operate continuously without crew support and have sailed over 1 million nautical miles, gathering climate data, tracking fish and marine mammals, and mapping.
Buyer decision signals
Deployments
Woolpert and NOAA Ocean Exploration / Office of Coast Survey, UNH CCOM / first major survey operator
Viability
Woolpert and Saildrone announce Surveyor deployment for NOAA mapping
Price
Published figures are build cost or program budget, not a purchase price
Availability
Specifications
Category: Research- Payload
- 100 kg
- Speed
- 3.4 m/s
- Weight
- 13,607.8 kg
- Battery
- 8,640 h
- Autonomy
- fully autonomous
- Launch year
- 2015
- Price
- Research platform
- Status
- active
Published figures are build cost or program budget, not a purchase price
Company profile
- Funding raised
- $177.0M
- Founded
- 2012
Detailed specifications
Safety & certifications1
- Safety Certification
- ABS Light Warship code
Other18
- Price Tier
- 150K+
- Applications
- sample_handling
- Sub Category
- uncrewed surface vehicle (USV)
- Api Available
- true
- Datasheet Url
- View Link
- Max Speed M S
- 1.54
- Pricing Model
- raas
- Fleet Software
- Mission Portal
- Model Variants
- Saildrone Explorer,Saildrone Voyager,Saildrone Spectre
- Company Country
- US
- Navigation Type
- gps
- Deployment Notes
- NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research partnership; University of New Hampshire & Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute integration; over 500,000 nautical miles sailed; 10,000+ days at sea from Arctic to Antarctic; USN 4th Fleet counter drug; CBP border monitoring; Meta cable route survey; Cayman Islands EEZ mapping; Gulf of Maine mapping; Atlantic hurricane monitoring
- Industries Served
- defense,maritime_security,ocean_mapping,oil_and_gas,fisheries
- Software Platform
- Mission Portal
- Availability Status
- available
- Countries Available
- US
- Programming Interface
- no_code_gui
- Additional Information
- Operates 24/7 for up to 365 continuous days at sea without a support vehicle.,No other platform in the world can collect high-resolution, high-quality scientific data above and below the ocean surface with the endurance of the Saildrone Explorer.,Built for missions where crewed vessels cannot safely or economically operate.,Provides uninterrupted data collection across vast ocean regions—including inside hurricanes—with zero manning burden.
Who runs it· deployment evidence
2 on record · none maker-verified yet. Each links to its source — open it and judge.
- UNH CCOM / first major survey operatorsource ↗
- Woolpert and NOAA Ocean Exploration / Office of Coast Surveysource ↗
Company milestones
- Feb 2026PartnershipWoolpert and Saildrone announce Surveyor deployment for NOAA mapping
- Jun 2025DeploymentVoyagers joined NATO Task Force X exercise
- Sep 2023DeploymentVoyager USVs launched for Operation Windward Stack
- Jul 2023DeploymentSaildrone Explorer deployed on Lake Erie for fishery surveys
- 2026Deployment10 Saildrone Explorers deployed for NOAA 2026 hurricane season
- 2025FundingEIFO funding round
- 2025LaunchVoyager USVs in Danish waters
- 2023DeploymentVoyager fleet deployed for U.S. Coast Guard missions
Compare with peers
More by Saildrone
More videos
Saildrone Surveyor Returns from Aleutian Islands
Saildrone Surveyor Arrives in Honolulu, Hawaii
Saildrone Surveyor Discovers New Sea "Hill" Off the Coast of San Francisco
Meet the Saildrone Surveyor
Saildrone Surveyor Demonstrates Exceptional Data Quality
Saildrone Surveyor 72-foot USV Launched in California
Frequently asked questions
- Who makes the Surveyor?
- The Surveyor is developed by Saildrone, based in United States.
- What type of robot is the Surveyor?
- The Surveyor is a Research robot made by Saildrone.
- How much does the Surveyor cost?
- Pricing for the Surveyor is not publicly listed — contact Saildrone for a quote.
- When was the Surveyor launched?
- The Surveyor was launched in 2015.
Reviews for Surveyor
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