Skip to content

Southern Fried Science

Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS

Ocean Kickstarter of the Month: The OpenROV Trident

Posted on September 14, 2015October 6, 2015 By Andrew Thaler
Education, Science

The future of ocean exploration is here.

OpenROV Trident – An Underwater Drone for Everyone by OpenROV

I’ve been watching, exploring, and working with the folks at OpenROV since their last Kickstarter, way back in 2012. Today they announce the launch of Trident, the next generation underwater vehicle, and one of the most capable microROVs that I’ve ever seen. I had the rare pleasure to join them in Lake Tahoe this May to test fly one of the earliest prototypes, and it surpassed all of my expectations.

You don’t need to hear me sing the praises of one of the most important emergent technologies in marine science and conservation. The rise of affordable, capable, portable underwater robots will fundamentally change the way we think about exploring the ocean and monitoring ocean health.

Onward to the Ocean Kickstarter criteria!

1. Is it sound, reasonable, and informed by science? You bet. OpenROV have been building underwater vehicles for upwards of four years. I use their robots in my research and education programs. The first peer-reviewed publication using OpenROV as a research platform will be coming out at the end of the month. 

2. Is there a clear goal, timeline, and budget; and are they partnering with the people who have experience hitting those marks? OpenROV is, by volume, one of, if not the, largest manufacturer of underwater robots. They’ve got the chops and the in-house expertise to pull this off. Their goals are, if anything, conservative. They know their market and they understand how to manufacture robots in bulk. This is a well-structured Kickstarter with an extremely high likelihood of success and on-time delivery.

3. Do some of the parties involved have a successful record with other crowdfunding projects and experience delivering on rewards. OpenROV launched their first Kickstarter in 2012 (and you should totally go watch that first launch video just to see how far they’ve come). It was a huge success, one of the first that blew past its initial goals. The final robot shipped from that project, the v2.3 was delayed, which is expected for first time Kickstarters, but not significantly. I can’t speak for any of the other ~100 original OpenROVs issued as rewards for that project, but mine still works. Since than, they’ve come a long way, and really demonstrate how a successful Kickstarter can launch an entire industry. The new v2.8s are pretty awesome, too. David Lang, one of the founders, also successfully Kickstarted a book, which was delivered on time and is a pretty good read.

The Sea-Factor. Obvious disclosure is obvious. I know these guys. I’ve worked with them. I spent a huge amount of time hanging out with the whole OpenROV crew. I took a team of OpenROV techs out to Papua New Guinea with me.  I’m co-authoring papers with them. They’re the real deal. You won’t find a group of people anywhere more passionate about exploration or more committed to making the tools of ocean exploration affordable. And they build a damn fine robot. You’d have to shell out $20,000 or more to find an underwater robot as capable and as flexible as the OpenROV v2.7 (the robot I’ve done most of my work with). The v2.8 is even better. Trident is in a class by itself. There is no other microROV on the market anything like Trident, at any price.

I want one.


Updates from past recommendations:

The Ocean Collection – Recycled Fishing Net Sunglasses finished an extremely strong campaign last week, topping out at over $180,000, more than 600% of their funding goal. I ordered a pair of Newens, which are scheduled to ship next month.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related

Tags: Kickstarter OpenROV

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: When conservation scientists talk the talk but don’t walk the walk
Next Post: Applications now open for the Elasmobranch Society’s new diversity in marine science initiative ❯

You may also like

Science
Bring the trench to the bench or bring the bench to the trench? The future of deep-sea exploration
January 15, 2013
Open Science
I made a ridiculous Glowing Wall Mount for my OpenROV Trident!
October 26, 2018
Uncategorized
Up your underwater robot skills with OpenROV Dive Debriefs
July 10, 2015
Weekly Salvage
Monday Morning Salvage: December 26, 2016
December 26, 2016

Recent Popular Posts

What Ocean Ramsey does is not shark science or conservation: some brief thoughts on "the Shark Whisperer" documentaryWhat Ocean Ramsey does is not shark science or conservation: some brief thoughts on "the Shark Whisperer" documentaryJuly 2, 2025David Shiffman
Considering writing a popular science book? Here's my adviceConsidering writing a popular science book? Here's my adviceJuly 7, 2025David Shiffman
Marine Biology Career AdviceMarine Biology Career AdviceMay 30, 2025David Shiffman
What is a Sand Shark?What is a Sand Shark?November 12, 2017Chuck Bangley
Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryShark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryAugust 10, 2014Michelle Jewell
What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?November 8, 2013David Shiffman
Critically Endangered sawfish are spinning in circles until they die. What the heck is going on?Critically Endangered sawfish are spinning in circles until they die. What the heck is going on?May 29, 2024David Shiffman
AuthorsOctober 27, 2013Administrator
The Urgency is Artificial. My comment on the proposed permitting of deep-sea mining leases off American SamoaThe Urgency is Artificial. My comment on the proposed permitting of deep-sea mining leases off American SamoaJuly 1, 2025Andrew Thaler
Please don't ride sharks, and other great tips from the new  guide to responsible shark divingPlease don't ride sharks, and other great tips from the new guide to responsible shark divingMarch 12, 2017David Shiffman
Subscribe to our RSS Feed for updates whenever new articles are published.

We recommend Feedly for RSS management. It's like Google Reader, except it still exists.

Southern Fried Science

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS


If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to our Patreon campaign.

Copyright © 2025 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown