Oshen's C-Stars: First Robots to Brave Category 5 Hurricane

Oshen, a pioneering company in marine robotics, has achieved a significant milestone: its autonomous C-Star micro-robots successfully collected critical ocean data directly within a Category 5 hurricane. This groundbreaking feat, accomplished by robots designed to withstand extreme conditions, marks a new era for oceanographic research and weather prediction. Founded by Anahita Laverack, Oshen is now securing contracts with government agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UK government, for its innovative data collection capabilities.

Anahita Laverack, initially aspiring to be an aerospace engineer, pivoted her career after a pivotal realization during an autonomous robotics challenge in 2021. While attempting the Microtransat Challenge – a competition to send sail-powered micro-robots across the Atlantic – Laverack, like all previous participants, was unsuccessful. This experience highlighted a critical gap:

“I realized half the reason that all of these attempts were failing is, number one, obviously it’s hard to make micro-robots survive on the ocean,” Laverack told TechCrunch. “But number two, they don’t have enough data on the ocean to know what the weather is or even know what the ocean conditions are like.”

Driven by this insight, Laverack sought existing ocean data at conferences like Oceanology International, only to discover a significant void. Instead of finding data, she found organizations willing to pay her to collect it. This demand spurred her to build a solution. In April 2022, Laverack co-founded Oshen with electrical engineer Ciaran Dowds, with the mission to develop fleets of autonomous robots for ocean data collection.

Oshen began its journey without immediate venture capital. Laverack and Dowds pooled their savings to purchase a 25-foot sailboat, which served as their primary testing platform while they lived at the UK's most affordable marina. For two years, they rigorously iterated on their robot designs onshore and immediately tested them in the water. This hands-on approach, though adventurous, especially during winter storms, was crucial for refining their technology.

Developing the C-Star robots presented unique challenges. Laverack explained that it wasn't simply a matter of scaling down larger existing robots. These micro-robots needed to be mass-deployable and cost-effective, yet technologically sophisticated enough to operate autonomously and collect data for extended periods in harsh ocean environments. While many competitors managed two of these three criteria, Oshen's ability to achieve all three began attracting attention from defense and government organizations.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) first noticed Oshen two years ago, but the technology wasn't quite ready for reliable deployment. However, two months before the 2025 hurricane season, NOAA re-engaged after Oshen successfully demonstrated its robots' resilience in UK winter storms. Seizing the opportunity, Oshen rapidly built and dispatched 15 C-Stars. Five of these were deployed near the U.S. Virgin Islands, directly into the predicted path of Hurricane Humberto.

While initially expecting the bots to collect data only leading up to the storm, three of the C-Stars defied expectations. They not only survived the entire Category 5 hurricane, albeit with some minor wear and tear, but also continuously collected invaluable data throughout the event. This achievement, according to Laverack, marks them as the first ocean robots ever to collect data directly through a Category 5 hurricane, providing unprecedented insights into extreme weather phenomena.

Now, Oshen has relocated to Plymouth, England, a prominent hub for marine technology companies. The company is rapidly expanding its operations, securing contracts with various customers, including the UK government, for both weather monitoring and defense applications. To meet the escalating demand for its innovative autonomous ocean robots, Oshen plans to raise venture capital in the near future, signaling a new phase of growth and impact in marine data collection.