Collecting ocean data shouldn't break the bank
Research vessel charters cost tens of thousands of pounds per day and provide data only while the ship is on station. Scout USV delivers persistent ocean data collection from £19,000 - making continuous monitoring accessible to researchers, energy companies, and defence organisations.
Meet Scout USV
Scout USV is a 2.4-metre, 80kg solar-electric autonomous surface vehicle built by Online Oceans for persistent ocean sensing. Starting from £19,000, Scout collects above-surface and subsea data continuously for months without crew, fuel, or shore support - approximately 200 times cheaper than research vessel charter. One person can deploy Scout from any beach or slipway in minutes.
Minutes to deploy, months of data
1. Go to the shore
Scout fits in the back of a van
2. Launch in minutes
One person, slipway or beach launch
3. Get data from anywhere
Send missions from your phone
Fleet control made easy with Tether
Send a mission
Drop pins, plan routes with weather and custom layers
Real-time data
Get sensor and telemetry data in real-time from anywhere
Manage the fleet
Reroute, add waypoints, or send new missions from your phone or laptop
What Scouts can do
Scout operates in three primary modes: virtual anchor for months-long station keeping and persistent ocean monitoring, waypoint missions for wide-area survey and data collection, and relay mode for subsea data harvesting - connecting seabed instruments to satellite networks in real time.
What could you do with your budget?
scenario 10
Pan & zoom to explore
*Based on 5km detection radius per Scout.
200x cheaper than a ship
No fuel, no crew, no vessel day rates
Months of data, not days
Data in all conditions
Built for operations
Operates in sea state 6, survives 8+
Configure your Scout payload
Scout is available in five payload configurations: Detect for maritime domain awareness and coastal surveillance, Connect for subsea communications and data harvesting, Metocean for weather and oceanographic data collection, Hydrotwin for AI-powered acoustic monitoring and marine mammal detection, and Payload for custom third-party sensor integration.
Scout Detect
Above & below surface detection
- Acoustic arrays (towed, tetrahedral, single)
- 360° 1080p optical camera
- Hydrotwin AI-powered acoustic classifier
- Real-time video streaming
- Local AIS capture
Scout Connect
Subsea data harvesting & tracking
- Acoustic modem for subsea comms
- Harvests data from seabed instruments
- Tracks underwater assets and vehicles
- Gateway between subsea and satellite
Scout Metocean
Metocean sensing, deployed anywhere
- Wave height, period & direction
- Wind speed & direction
- SST & atmospheric pressure
- Bristlemouth-compatible expansion
- Live camera for on-location conditions
Scout Hydrotwin
Mobile AI acoustics, deployed for months
- Integrated hydrophone system
- Real-time, AI-powered detection and classification of vessels & marine mammals
- Edge processing for real-time alerts on unauthorised activities
- Instant data access through cloud dashboard or API
Scout Payload
Bring your own sensors
- Flexible payload bay for custom sensors
- Standard power and data interfaces
- Integration support from our team
- Perfect for R&D and specialist applications
How to get started
Tell us about your mission
Data requirements, location and timeline
We talk sensors together
Scout configured for your specific sensing needs
Buy or
rent Scouts
Buy your Scout or get data as a service
Deploy and collect data
Persistent data via secure dashboards or API
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about Scout USV - deployment, operation, data access, weather survivability, pricing, sensors, and how autonomous surface vehicles compare to traditional ocean data collection methods.
Scout is ready to deploy straight out of the box. Launch from a slipway, beach, or small boat. No complex setup required. Missions are planned and monitored remotely via Tether, our web-based command and control platform.
Scout is designed for long-duration missions measured in months, depending on payload and operating profile.
Scout uses Iridium and Starlink satellite communications. Data is delivered to secure cloud dashboards or via API. Scout operates autonomously by default. No persistent link required. If connectivity is interrupted, it continues its mission. You own your data.
Scout operates in sea state 6 and is designed to survive sea state 8+. The hull is self-righting under all conditions. Onboard AIS collision avoidance keeps Scout clear of other vessels while operating autonomously.
Scout is available via purchase or data as a service depending on your needs and risk profile.
Scout is relocatable. Deploy once, cover multiple sites. No mooring permits, no anchor maintenance, and you can reposition as conditions or requirements change.
Yes. Scout Detect is designed for maritime domain awareness, with secure data handling and integration options for existing C2 systems. Contact us to discuss specific requirements.
Scout Metocean sensors meet industry standards. Data is quality-controlled and delivered in standard formats. Calibration and accuracy specs available on request.
Yes. Scout Payload provides power, data interfaces, and payload space for custom sensors. Data is delivered in standard formats compatible with your analysis workflows. Our team supports integration of third-party instruments.
You set a centre point and radius. Scout drifts with the current to conserve power, then motors back to centre when it reaches the edge. Holding position for months with minimal energy use.
Minimal scheduled maintenance every six months, with low-cost consumable parts. Scout's hull is designed to resist biofouling for extended deployments through wave-action self-cleaning.
An autonomous surface vehicle (USV) is an uncrewed, self-navigating vessel that operates on the ocean surface to collect data, conduct surveys, or perform surveillance. Scout USV by Online Oceans is a 2.4m solar-electric USV designed for multi-month persistent ocean sensing at a fraction of the cost of crewed research vessels.
A USV (uncrewed surface vehicle) operates on the ocean surface and can use solar power for indefinite endurance and real-time satellite communications. An AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) operates subsea for shorter missions with limited communications. Scout USV bridges both worlds - operating on the surface for persistent data collection while using acoustic modems to harvest data from subsea instruments.
Ocean data-as-a-service is a model where you receive ocean data on a subscription or per-mission basis without purchasing hardware. Online Oceans operates Scout USVs on your behalf and delivers processed data via secure cloud dashboards or API. This removes capital expenditure and operational risk while providing persistent ocean monitoring.
Research vessel charters typically cost tens of thousands of pounds per day and provide data only while the ship is on station. Scout USV starts from £19,000 and collects data continuously for months - making it approximately 200 times more cost-effective for persistent ocean monitoring. Scout can be deployed by one person from shore, with no crew, fuel, or port infrastructure required.
Scout USV is designed to be the most accessible autonomous ocean sensing platform available. At 2.4m and 80kg, Scout launches from any beach or slipway by one person - no crane or support vessel needed. Starting from £19,000, Scout is priced for fleet deployment, enabling organisations to deploy multiple units for wide-area coverage at a budget that would typically fund a single larger vehicle.
Yes. Scout is well suited to persistent environmental monitoring around offshore wind installations. Scout Hydrotwin provides AI-powered marine mammal detection for regulatory compliance, Scout Metocean measures wave and wind conditions for operational planning, and Scout Detect monitors vessel traffic in exclusion zones. Scout's multi-month persistence eliminates the need for repeated survey vessel deployments.
Scout is available in five payload configurations: Detect (cameras, acoustic arrays, AIS for maritime surveillance), Connect (acoustic modem for subsea data harvesting), Metocean (wave, wind, temperature, and pressure sensors), Hydrotwin (AI-powered acoustic monitoring for vessels and marine mammals), and Payload (flexible bay for custom third-party sensor integration). Sensor partners include Hydrotwin, Sonardyne, SensorTech Canada, Applied Ocean Sciences, Sofar Ocean, and Xylem.
Scout carries an onboard AIS receiver and transmitter for vessel detection and identification. The autonomous navigation system uses AIS data to detect nearby vessels and adjust course to maintain safe separation. Scout's self-righting hull and storm-survivable design (sea state 8+) provide additional safety in busy or adverse conditions.
Scout operates in sea state 6 conditions and is designed to survive sea state 8+ storms. The hull is self-righting under all conditions and features anti-biofouling design for extended tropical deployments. Scout's solar-electric power system works in all latitudes with sufficient daylight. The satellite connectivity (Iridium and Starlink) provides global coverage.
Yes. Scout is available via outright purchase or as data-as-a-service, where Online Oceans operates Scout on your behalf and delivers processed data via secure dashboards or API. The data-as-a-service model removes capital expenditure and is ideal for organisations that want ocean data without owning and operating hardware.