Oceanbotics, Inc.
Irvine, California maker of SRV-8 and SRV-8X ROVs with SubNav OS, plus mine-disposal and acoustic-tracking variants for navies and police.
Oceanbotics, Inc. is a Southern California manufacturer of compact professional remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and the SubNav OS control software that runs them. Founder and CEO Robert Jechart established the company in April 2017. He also leads its parent company, RJE International, which makes underwater positioning, navigation and relocation equipment for military, commercial and scientific users and had been in business for 25 years by 2016. Jechart started Oceanbotics to build ROVs that were as easy to use as aerial drones.
The first SRV-8 shipped to a customer in May 2019. The larger SRV-8X Optimus followed in March 2023, and in August 2023 the company launched a Special Purpose Vehicle Division for defense and security variants. By October 2023 Oceanbotics reported 200 vehicles deployed across six continents. In September 2026 Oceanbotics and RJE International moved into a 20,000-square-foot headquarters at 9805 Research Drive in Irvine, which the company says more than doubles production capacity and is close enough to the Pacific for dockside training and demonstrations. Oceanbotics markets its vehicles as made in the USA and sells through direct sales and a dealer program.
The core product, the SRV-8, has eight brushless thrusters and two adjustable lights totaling 3,000 lumens. It carries a 4K camera and two hot-swappable batteries that give up to 8 hours of operation; a Topside Power System supplies continuous surface power for longer missions. It is rated to 350 m, with 500 m and 1,200 m options. Copper tethers up to 300 m have a breaking strength of 544 kg, and an optional fiber-optic tether is also available. The SRV-8X Optimus is built for stronger currents and heavier payloads, with eight larger thrusters and four lights totaling 6,000 lumens, sharing the same depth ratings and battery system. The compact SRV-8C is a one-person carry-on vehicle with 4K video, 3,000 lumens of lighting and up to 4 hours of battery life, aimed at inspection, survey, retrieval and search-and-rescue work.
The Special Purpose Vehicle Division has two products. The SRV-8X Mine Disposal Vehicle is a military-grade configuration for naval EOD teams. It carries the Viper MDS IED neutralisation system from ECS Special Projects, a spooled shock-tube initiation system, 2D multibeam imaging sonar and USBL positioning, so mines and unexploded ordnance can be found and neutralized without clearance divers. The SRV-8X ATS acoustic tracking system detects underwater pingers and transponders, including the locator beacons fitted to aircraft flight recorders, and uses a signal-strength display in its SubNav-X software to home in on them.
Accessories include sonar, USBL, manipulators, CTD probes, ultrasonic thickness probes and auxiliary HD cameras, all designed for plug-and-play integration. SubNav OS was developed in-house and is closed-source. It brings video, sonar and navigation maps together on one screen, provides depth hold, heading lock and pitch stabilization, exports mission data in a single file, and carries no licensing fees.
Customers named by the company include law enforcement and border agencies such as the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Port Police, San Diego Police Department, the Dutch National Police, NOAA law enforcement and the Australian Border Force, whose use of an SRV-8 against a cocaine smuggling operation was featured on 60 Minutes Australia in 2024. Defense users include the US Navy, the Royal Navy, the Canadian, Finnish, French, Indonesian and Swedish navies, the US Army Corps of Engineers and Babcock International, and energy users include Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron. The SRV-8 has also been used for four consecutive years on Discovery Channel Shark Week productions. Target markets cover search and rescue, defense, offshore oil and gas, border security, commercial diving, marine science and aquaculture.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Oceanbotics, Inc.
WEBSITE
https://oceanbotics.comPHONE
+1 949 656 8038HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2017
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Subsidiary / Acquired
Funding Total
-
Keywords
- Oceanbotics
- Inc.
- SRV-8
- SRV-8X Optimus
- SRV-8C
- SRV-8X Mine Disposal Vehicle
- SRV-8X ATS
- SubNav OS
- hot-swappable batteries
- underwater search and rescue
- mine countermeasures
- flight recorder beacon detection
- Manufacturer
- Unmanned Marine Vehicle
- ROV
- Defense & Security
- Oil
- Gas & Energy
- Education & Research
- Agriculture
