Schmidt Ocean Institute
Non-profit ocean research foundation founded 2009 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt; runs R/V Falkor (too) and the 4,500 m ROV SuBastian for open science.
Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit operating foundation established in March 2009 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to advance oceanographic research, discovery and knowledge. It is based in Palo Alto, California. SOI operates as a seagoing research facility rather than a grant-making body. It gives collaborating scientists free access to its research vessel R/V Falkor (too) and expert shipboard technical support. In return they must openly share their outcomes, including raw observations and data. SOI has no resident scientists. Everyone who sails comes from a collaborating university or institution, and SOI says it has more than 85 collaborators. It is a member of the International Research Ship Organization (IRSO) and works closely with, but is not a member of, the US UNOLS fleet.
Robotics is central to the Institute's model. Co-founder Eric Schmidt has asked for maximum emphasis on software, robotics and data platforms. SOI's flagship robot is ROV SuBastian, a 4,500 m-rated remotely operated vehicle built for exclusive use from Falkor (too). Press coverage from 2016 reported that it was developed in Palo Alto, tested at MBARI and first trialled at sea off Guam. SuBastian specifications:
- 3-knot top speed
- 2.7 x 2.2 x 1.8 m frame, 3,200 kg in air, 200 kg of payload capacity
- runs on Greensea's OPENSEA operating platform
- science sensors: Sea-Bird FastCAT SBE49 CTD, Aanderaa oxygen optode and a high-temperature probe rated to 600 degrees C
- cameras: SOI Z71 4K situational camera, SULIS Subsea Z70 4K science camera and four DSPL HD cameras
- sonars: Tritech Super SeaKing, Teledyne BlueView M900 and Kongsberg M3 multibeam
- navigation: Sonardyne SPRINT INS, Lodestar IMU, Syrinx DVL and WMT USBL
- sampling: Niskin bottles, a multi-chamber suction sampler, custom push cores and insulated bioboxes
- science interfaces: RS-232/RS-485 serial, gigabit Ethernet, 12/24 VDC and 115/230 VAC power, and proportional hydraulic circuits for guest tools
Every ROV dive is streamed live to SOI's YouTube channel.
SOI has also built a deep-ocean lander, an "underwater elevator" that can reach full ocean depth of 11,000 m, for deployment alongside its robotic systems. Falkor (too)'s echosounders and multibeam mapping system can image the seafloor to 8,000 m, and SOI says its ships' systems have mapped about a quarter of a million square kilometres since 2014. Falkor (too) also carries a shipboard high-performance cloud computing system, VSAT internet with 15 virtual LANs, and real-time ship-to-shore links. The ship sails under the Cayman Islands flag with no fixed homeport. Underway data is archived with the Rolling Deck to Repository, and processed bathymetry and vehicle data with the Marine Geoscience Data System.
Expeditions combine ROV work with other platforms. A 2018 SOI cruise used a fleet of aerial, surface and underwater robots to map an ocean front, and 2026 cruise plans include gliders, floats, drifters and profilers alongside SuBastian. In 2026 Falkor (too) is working in the Southwest Atlantic, from deep waters off Brazil to Mid-Atlantic seamounts. Projects include the Animals as Living Bioreactors and SUBSEA expeditions with the Schmidt Sciences Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute, which study carbon export by vertically migrating animals and nutrient exchange in the South Atlantic subtropical gyre. SOI also runs an Artist-at-Sea program, science communication internships, a Ship-to-Shore classroom program and student berths. Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani received the 2026 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration from the Marine Technology Society and the Society for Underwater Technology.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Schmidt Ocean Institute
WEBSITE
https://schmidtocean.orgHEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2009
Primary Role
Research Institute
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Grant / Non-profit
Funding Total
-
Keywords
- Schmidt Ocean Institute
- ROV SuBastian
- R/V Falkor (too)
- full-ocean-depth lander
- deep-sea exploration
- open-access ocean data
- seafloor mapping
- ship-to-shore livestream
- telepresence
- marine biodiversity discovery
- Research Institute
- Unmanned Marine Vehicle
- ROV
- Subsea
- Education & Research
- Research Platform
