Oshen built the first ocean robot to collect data in a Category 5 hurricane

Anahita Laverack's journey from aspiring aerospace engineer to ocean data innovator took a remarkable turn after her experience at an autonomous robotics challenge. This pivotal moment inspired her to establish Oshen, a company dedicated to creating fleets of robots that gather vital oceanic data. In 2021, Laverack, an experienced sailor, embarked on a mission to participate in the Microtransat Challenge, which involves constructing autonomous sail-powered micro-robots for a transatlantic journey. Despite her efforts, she, like many others, faced challenges that resulted in failure. "I realized that many attempts were faltering due to two main issues: the inherent difficulty of making micro-robots endure the ocean and the lack of data to understand oceanic and weather conditions," Laverack shared with TechCrunch. Determined to bridge this data gap, Laverack attended various conferences, including Oceanology International, where she discovered a significant demand for ocean data collection. Encouraged by inquiries from potential clients willing to pay for this data, she and electrical engineer Ciaran Dowds co-founded Oshen in April 2022. Oshen quickly developed its C-Star micro-robots, designed to withstand the harsh ocean environment for up to 100 days. Initially, the company focused on refining its technology without seeking venture capital. Instead, Laverack and Dowds pooled their resources to purchase a 25-foot sailboat, residing at the most affordable marina in the UK to utilize it as their testing platform. Over two years, the duo constantly refined their robots, conducting tests on both land and sea. "Testing in the summer was manageable, but winter storms posed a significant challenge. There were some adventurous moments when our robots faced harsh conditions that no small sailboat should endure," Laverack recounted. Developing the technology proved challenging; it required creating a deployable, cost-effective robot while ensuring it was technologically capable of autonomous data collection. Many companies have succeeded in one or two of these aspects, but Oshen's triad of success began attracting interest from defense and government sectors. Two years ago, Oshen caught the eye of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, Laverack noted that their technology was not yet reliable enough for deployment. After Oshen proved its capabilities by deploying robots during winter storms in the UK, NOAA reached out again just before the 2025 hurricane season. Seizing the opportunity, Oshen rapidly constructed and deployed 15 C-Stars to the U.S. Virgin Islands, anticipating that the robots would gather data prior to Hurricane Humberto. To their surprise, three C-Stars not only survived the storm but also provided continuous data throughout the event, marking a significant milestone as the first ocean robots to collect data during a Category 5 hurricane. Now based in a marine technology hub in Plymouth, England, Oshen is expanding its client base, including contracts with the UK government for both weather monitoring and defense purposes. Laverack has plans to seek venture capital soon to meet the increasing demand for their innovative technology.