Three Recent SEABOTS Success Stories Revolutionizing Coastal Monitoring

From port management to satellite calibration and coastal defense exercises, SEABOTS is redefining how we monitor and protect our maritime environments. Through its SB100 autonomous surface vehicles and advanced digital HUB technologies, this company has recently demonstrated three groundbreaking success stories: creating real-time digital twins of ports, enabling satellite-derived bathymetry with unprecedented precision, and executing versatile ISR operations during NATO exercises. These achievements showcase how robotics, data integration, and autonomy are revolutionizing maritime operations, making them safer, faster, and more efficient.

1. Digital Twins for Ports: Ports de la Generalitat (L’Estartit, Girona, Spain)

What if your port could see itself from the inside… in real time?

At the Port of L’Estartit, SEABOTS demonstrated how to move from occasional inspections to continuous, predictive monitoring by combining SB100 autonomous robots with a digital HUB that centralizes all acquired data.

What we did (beyond bathymetry):

• Multibeam sonar to model the seabed with centimetric precision.
• Side-scan sonar to identify structures and seabed objects.
• Sub-bottom profiler to analyse sediment layers.
• LIDAR for scanning breakwaters and emerged areas.
• On-board ROV with HD cameras for photogrammetry and structural inspection.

Why it matters for port management:

• A unified digital twin combining bathymetry, structural, and visual data within the digital HUB, accessible through a single interface.
• Full coverage of ultra-shallow areas inaccessible to conventional vessels, with centimetric accuracy and complete traceability.
• No operational disruption: SB100 units operate quietly and safely without interfering with port activity.
• Enables data-driven planning and drastically reduces the need for manual inspections.

2. Satellite-Derived Bathymetry-European Space Agency (ESA)

What if satellites could see the seafloor with centimetric accuracy?

The WAVESS project, led by the European Space Agency (ESA Φ-LabNET Spain) with SPASCAT Technologies, CTTC, and SEABOTS, proved that combining Earth-observation data and autonomous robotics is the key to achieving it.

The challenge: to turn optical imagery into reliable bathymetric maps, even in complex coastal environments. To do so, Seabots’ SB100 USVs carried out calibration missions along the Mediterranean coast, collecting depth, reflectivity, turbidity and optical parameters used to fine-tune Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) algorithms.

The result: a 90% reduction in cost and time compared to conventional hydrographic surveys, while maintaining equivalent accuracy. The SB100’s in-situ measurements acted as the ground truth, continuously validating and refining satellite models in near-real time.

Why it matters:

• Enables global coastal mapping, accessible and updatable in weeks instead of months.
• Allows frequent monitoring of shoreline dynamics, erosion and sedimentation.
• Positions the SB100 as a distributed calibration node, essential for future ESA Earth-0bservation constellations.

3. ISR Operations-REPMUS 2025 Exercise (NATO and Portuguese Navy)

What if a single robot could patrol, detect and sample the coastal environment, without putting anyone at risk?

During the REPMUS 2025 exercise, organized by NATO and the Portuguese Navy, SEABOTS collaborated with allied forces and industry members to validate new Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in coastal environments.

The SB100 was integrated into a multinational fleet of unmanned systems, operating from shore with full autonomy and streaming real-time data to the command center. Its compact size and low acoustic signature made it an ideal node for discreet missions in port and coastal zones.

During REPMUS, SB100 executed real operations including:

• Port surveillance using EO/IR cameras and radar for intrusion detection.
• Mine detection and positioning through high-resolution sonar.
• Sampling in contaminated waters for chemical and microbiological analysis.
• Inspection of critical infrastructures: hulls, quays, and pipelines, with an integrated ROV and HD video link.

The results confirmed: full interoperability of the SB100 within NATO C2 networks and its technological maturity as a lightweight, versatile ISR platform.
 
Why it is relevant:

• One system covers multiple missions: patrol, search, and inspection.
• Silent, electric, and autonomous operation in high-risk or hard-to-reach areas.
• Fully compatible with collaborative defense and civil-security ecosystems.

For further information:

SEABOTS
C/ Maracaibo, 1, naus 2-6. 08030 Barcelona (Spain)
Telephone: (+34) 931 256 536
info@gpaseabots.com