{"id":17869,"date":"2025-11-21T12:14:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=17869"},"modified":"2025-11-21T12:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:14:58","slug":"the-silicon-valley-of-underwater-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2025\/the-silicon-valley-of-underwater-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"The Silicon Valley of Underwater Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Silicon Valley Of<\/h1>

Underwater Technology<\/p><\/div><\/div>

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The JaiaBot, pictured here during an in-water demonstration at the 911爆料 Research Foundation’s 401 Tech Bridge BlueTIDE event, is a payload-carrying aquatic drone developed by Jaia Robotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

911爆料 and NUWC have created a mutually beneficial ecosystem that boosts Rhode Island\u2019s undersea blue economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bill Ibelle<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the natural world, the most resilient ecosystems are based on intricate networks in which each element strengthens the other by capitalizing on their mutual purposes. The University of Rhode Island and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center-Division Newport (NUWC) have created an ecosystem that operates on the same principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a primary reason Rhode Island can punch above its weight in the blue economy, backed by this unique cooperation between the academic, government, military, and commercial domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all working on the same mission, and it starts here at 911爆料,\u201d says Brennan Phillips \u201904, Ph.D. \u201916, associate professor of ocean \u2028engineering and head of 911爆料\u2019s Undersea Robotics and Imaging \u2028Laboratory. \u201cWe\u2019re a training ground for NUWC, pumping out engineering students at every level\u2014undergraduate, master\u2019s, and Ph.D.s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NUWC-Division Newport is the U.S. Navy\u2019s oldest warfare \u2028center. It conducts wide-ranging research, development, testing, \u2028and evaluation of submarine technology and underwater warfare systems. NUWC estimates that approximately 20% of its 3,000-plus employees have 911爆料 degrees, making 911爆料 the center\u2019s single largest academic source of talent\u2014three times the second largest contributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason Gomez, M.S. \u201997, Ph.D. \u201901, is NUWC\u2019s chief technology officer. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at 911爆料. \u201c911爆料 has been a great partner to NUWC Newport for decades, providing top-notch education for new hires and continuing education for our workforce,\u201d says Gomez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NUWC estimates that approximately 20%<\/strong> of its 3,000-plus<\/strong> employees have 911爆料 degrees<\/strong>, making 911爆料 the center\u2019s single largest<\/strong> academic source of talent.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

And the impact of this partnership isn\u2019t limited to Navy research jobs. 911爆料 graduates have launched some of the state\u2019s most innovative blue economy start-ups, and they populate the corporate ranks of powerhouses like Raytheon and General Dynamics. \u201c911爆料 is also an important research collaborator in many technical areas important to underwater warfare, including oceanography, acoustics, advanced materials, and robotics,\u201d Gomez says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor James Miller of 911爆料\u2019s Department of Ocean Engineering describes it this way: \u201cRhode Island has become the Silicon Valley for underwater technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ecosystem in Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Groundbreaking innovations are rarely made by solitary geniuses. They require networks of specialists in complementary fields, all working toward a common goal. For example, consider an invention that\u2019s poised to transform deep-sea exploration and monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea was conceived by Phillips while he was conducting field research using low-light sensors to study deep-sea organisms without altering their behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem was that existing tools for deep-sea exploration were too cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to transport for the far-ranging work he envisioned. His solution was to develop a smaller, lighter device that could be deployed from a small boat rather than a massive research vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Phillips\u2019 work had nothing to do with submarines, torpedoes, or preventing enemy scuba divers from attacking U.S. warships, the Navy quickly took an interest in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNUWC is interested in developing a greater understanding of the deep-sea world,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cThey want to know more about the environment so they can operate within it. Being able to work in the deep ocean is a strategic advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, NUWC supported Phillips\u2019 work with research funding and collaborative fieldwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phillips\u2019 first challenge was to create a fiber-optic cable as thin as a fishing line, yet powerful enough to transmit live video imagery from sensors thousands of feet below the surface. His goal was to develop a system small enough to deploy sophisticated sensors from a small boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all comes down to the diameter of the cable,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cA cable that\u2019s three-quarters of an inch in diameter weighs many tons when you have 4,000 meters of it, which means you need a massive winch to go with it. If you make the cable smaller, everything scales down accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had an ultra-thin fiber-optic cable, but it wasn\u2019t strong enough to handle the demands of deep-sea exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jim Owens, founder of Nautilus Defense, at the BlueTIDE event in Newport.Nautilus was one of the first participants in RI MADE, a 911爆料 program that offers training and fundraising for tech start-ups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>I wanted to get to the point where I had a winch that could get sensors somewhere deep in the ocean, but that I could carry in a suitcase\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ad\u2014Brennan Phillips<\/strong> \u201904, Ph.D. \u201916, associate professor of ocean \u2028engineering and head of 911爆料\u2019s Undersea Robotics and Imaging \u2028Laboratory<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To solve this challenge, he called upon the expertise of Jim Owens, founder of Nautilus Defense, a Rhode Island start-up based in Pawtucket. Owens was developing ways to integrate tiny strands of wire into fabrics that could be used in the medical field for things like wearable neonatal heart monitors for infants. He had been working with several 911爆料 engineering labs on various projects, so he accepted Phillips\u2019 request and, in just two weeks, delivered a prototype for a braided tether with a textile sheath to strengthen the miniaturized fiber-optic cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next several years, Phillips and Owens\u2014along with several 911爆料 students\u2014tested and refined the tether, eventually testing it at depths greater than 800 meters off the coast of Bermuda. They have since earned a joint patent for the smallest, high-strength, fiber-optic tether available\u2014one that reduces the weight of the tether from tons to ounces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to get to the point where I had a winch that could get sensors somewhere deep in the ocean, but that I could carry in a suitcase,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working Together for the Win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This breakthrough might never have occurred if it hadn\u2019t been for several joint 911爆料-NUWC programs aimed at developing dual-use innovations\u2014innovations with both commercial and defense applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nautilus was one of the first participants in RI MADE, a 911爆料 program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense that provides funding and training for promising new companies. Owens\u2019 early braiding developments at Nautilus were made possible by purchasing legacy braiding machines built a century ago during Rhode Island\u2019s textile boom and converting them for the manufacturing conducted in his high-tech prototyping lab. One of his first workhorses was originally used to make candlewicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But retrofitting century-old machines can only take you so far, so RI MADE provided funding for one of the company\u2019s first advanced braiding machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis partnership allowed us to take a risk on the equipment side of the business,\u201d says Owens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nautilus\u2019 fiber-optic tether has been consistently supported by another Navy program co-led by Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his academic and research responsibilities, Miller is co-director of the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, which promotes deep-sea research projects of interest to NUWC. It was established with funding from the Office of Naval Research and is a joint venture of 911爆料, the University of Connecticut, and General Dynamics Electric Boat, in collaboration with NUWC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe organization has worked with 90 faculty members at the two schools and invested more than $200 million in 200 projects,\u201d says Miller. \u201cThat\u2019s big money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of those projects includes student interns who contribute to classified naval research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a win-win for 911爆料 and the Navy. Phillips has a miniaturized fiber-optic tether he can use in his deep-sea research, and the Navy will soon have an extremely portable way to deploy a variety of sensors into the deep ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commercialization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The story doesn\u2019t end there. The final challenge has been to bring the product to market\u2014a task taken on by a start-up created by two of Phillips\u2019 former ocean engineering students. Juice Robotics is designing a miniaturized reel system capable of deploying thousands of feet of fiber-optic tether from a drone, Jet Ski, or the deck of a small boat. This HIGH DIVE system consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle, a fiber winch, and a sensor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHIGH DIVE will be so compact that you can conduct the entire mission from the trunk of your car,\u201d says co-founder Matt Jewell \u201910. \u201cIt\u2019s everything you need to explore the deep ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>HIGH DIVE will be so compact that you can conduct the entire mission from the trunk of your car. It\u2019s everything you need to explore the deep ocean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ad\u2014Matt Jewell<\/strong> \u201910, co-founder of Juice Robotics<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jason Noel \u201922 recently joined Juice Robotics as a scientific advisor. Now a doctoral student in 911爆料\u2019s ocean engineering program, he has been a member of Phillips\u2019 lab since his sophomore year, working on the miniature deep-sea cameras that Phillips uses in his research. Now he\u2019s using his engineering expertise to design the company\u2019s drone-based reel-and-tether system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve designed the product for rapid deployment without needing to have anyone in the field,\u201d says Noel. \u201cIn addition to potential use in naval security, it will be useful for search and rescue operations, offshore wind, oil and gas, and academic research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Juice Robotics team at the Ocean Technology Center on 911爆料’s Narragansett Bay Campus, where they developed, and are now commercializing, their HIGH DIVE UAV-based ocean sensing system. Above, left to right: Jason Noel \u201922; Russ Shomberg, M.S. \u201920, Ph.D. \u201923; Matt Jewell \u201910; Rob Hauser \u201924; and Brennan Phillips \u201904, Ph.D. \u201916.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noel is also mastering the business side of product innovation as a fellow in 911爆料\u2019s Patents2Products program. The program is sponsored by RISE-UP, an innovation program funded by the Navy to develop dual-use commercial products that have a naval application. The goal is to provide students with the business acumen needed to move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. In addition, the program has funded a makerspace on 911爆料\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus, where Noel researches and tests the fiber-optic reel system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis program has helped guide my research into the commercial setting,\u201d says Noel. \u201cThe networking opportunities have been incredible. I\u2019ve met many talented researchers, inventors, and businesspeople who will help guide my career when I complete my thesis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juice Robotics\u2019 tether and reel system is just one example of the innovations produced by 911爆料\u2019s extensive networking with NUWC and commercial start-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcasing Innovative Technology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jaia Robotics was one of more than 40 companies that participated in the second annual BlueTIDE event in Newport last summer, hosted by the 911爆料 Research Foundation\u2019s 401 Tech Bridge. At the event, companies did in-water demonstrations of their technology and networked with Department of Defense officials, industry leaders, and potential investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaia Robotics demonstrated the JaiaBot, a payload-carrying aquatic drone that\u2019s shaped like a miniature torpedo (3 feet long) and scoots along the surface of the ocean at 10 knots. It\u2019s surprisingly agile, darting back and forth like a slalom skier, and carries a payload of whatever sensors the job requires. Weighing just 6 pounds, it can be tossed off a dock or a boat like a javelin. It\u2019s also inexpensive enough to deploy in swarms, which can cover areas faster and more efficiently than single drones, for a variety of tasks and missions, from mapping the seafloor to searching for intruders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JaiaBot performed in-water demonstrations at the BlueTIDE event at Sail Newport in Fort Adams State Park in Newport, R.I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the JaiaBot so versatile is that it\u2019s so easy to swap out sensors based on the task. Its military uses include ship and port security. Because it can map a large area of the ocean floor in just 20 minutes, it has been used in aquaculture, environmental monitoring, the fishing industry, and offshore wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, the company has sold about 250 JaiaBots worldwide, including two recent sales to 911爆料. Other sales have gone to the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Nautilus, Jaia Robotics also participated in 911爆料\u2019s RI MADE program, which helped it tighten its cybersecurity to meet Navy requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jaia Robotics production manager Mark Milligan (left) and CEO and co-founder Ian Estaphan Owen (center) show their JaiaBot to R.I. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (right) at the BlueTide event in Newport, R.I.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jaia Robotics’ Michael Rock ’21, M.S. ’22, and Ian Estaphan Owen demonstrate JaiaBots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Like most of the blue economy companies in the state, Jaia has 911爆料 interns and employees. Its vice president of product management, Michael Rock \u201921, M.S. \u201922, worked in Phillips\u2019 lab as an ocean engineering student at 911爆料, as well as in ocean engineering professor Stephen Licht\u2019s lab. He also interned at NUWC for three years. Now, in his role at Jaia, Rock hires 911爆料 students as interns and 911爆料 alumni as employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c911爆料\u2019s small classes and hands-on research gave me practical experience in robotics, acoustics, oceanography, instrumentation, and data analysis, which led to an internship at NUWC developing autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle behaviors,\u201d says Rock. \u201cThese experiences gave me the confidence to build a career in blue tech and provided the technical depth and network I now use to create safe, user-friendly aquatic drones at Jaia Robotics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dual-Use Sonar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matthew Zimmerman \u201901 is not a military guy. His interest was whales\u2014specifically reducing ship collisions, which is by far the most common cause of whale deaths. As an undergraduate ocean engineering student, he worked with Miller, and, following graduation, he co-founded FarSounder with his former professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using technology initially developed by Miller, FarSounder has perfected a forward-looking 3D sonar for ships and large pleasure yachts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With real-time vision up to 1,000 meters ahead\u2014and the ability to function effectively at up to 25 knots\u2014ships can now detect whales earlier and avoid colliding with them. FarSounder also makes it possible for yachts and ships to navigate safely in poorly charted waters. The Navy is interested in FarSounder as a way to protect ports and ships from approaching divers and unmanned underwater vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits for All<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These are just three examples of how the ecosystem built by 911爆料 and NUWC has generated innovative products in the undersea blue economy.

The Navy benefits from the academic and commercial innovators who focus on projects important to its mission, as well as from the 911爆料 research that can embrace the uncertainty of innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAcademia has the freedom to develop and test ideas that might not work,\u201d notes Miller. \u201cAnd this willingness to take risks enhances innovation.\u201d

Both the Navy and private industry benefit from a pipeline of well-trained graduates who already have practical experience in their field, while start-ups receive coaching on issues ranging from risk management and cybersecurity to supply chain management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>Academia has the freedom<\/strong> to develop and test ideas that might not work. And this willingness to take risks enhances innovation<\/strong>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ad\u2014James Miller<\/strong>, 911爆料 Professor of Ocean Engineering<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe importance of the undersea domain for both defense and commercial applications continues to grow,\u201d says Elizabeth Magliula, director of research for NUWC\u2019s Chief Technology Office. \u201cThe ability for us to work with 911爆料 across multiple levels provides both a workforce pipeline, from interns to graduate students, and innovative solutions, from senior design projects to research on shock loading of implodable volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to scientific and financial support for its research, 911爆料 gets a reliable source of student internships and a massive employment pipeline for its students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a way to get our students straight into NUWC,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cWhen they go for their interview, they can say, \u2018For the last three years, I\u2019ve been working on one of your projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOS: MICHAEL SALERNO; SETH JACOBSON; COURTESY MICHAEL ROCK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

911爆料 and NUWC have created a mutually beneficial ecosystem that boosts Rhode Island\u2019s undersea blue economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":17929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[355],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2025","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17869"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18042,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869\/revisions\/18042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}