# Sea Machines Robotics

> Sea Machines Robotics is a Boston-based company building autonomous command, control, and perception systems for commercial and defense vessels. Its products - including the SM300 autonomous control system, the SM200 wireless remote helm, and the AI-Ris computer-vision sensor - let workboats, tugs, survey craft, and unmanned surface vehicles operate remotely or autonomously while improving safety and crew productivity. Founded in 2015 by marine engineer Michael G. Johnson, the company has deployed systems on four continents and works with customers spanning shipping, spill response, government, and the military.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Michael G. Johnson (Founder, President & CTO (former CEO))
- **Team size:** ~58 employees
- **Products:** SM300, SM200, AI-Ris, SELKIE, SMLINK & Fleetviewer
- **Notable:** The Machine Odyssey (2021): a Damen tugboat, Nellie Bly, autonomously navigated over 1,000 nautical miles in 13 days around Denmark and through the Kiel Canal to Hamburg, commanded remotely from Boston., SM200 received type approvals from the American Bureau of Shipping and U.S. Coast Guard (2020) and Bureau Veritas (2022)., Deployed autonomous systems on four continents.

## Products & services

- **SM300** — Industrial-grade autonomous command and control system that enables remote operation, waypoint and mission navigation, collision avoidance, and rules-of-the-road compliance for commercial and defense vessels.
- **SM200** — Wireless remote-helm control system allowing operators to control steering, propulsion, and onboard equipment from up to about 1 km away, with type approvals from ABS, U.S. Coast Guard, and Bureau Veritas.
- **AI-Ris** — AI-powered computer-vision sensor that detects, classifies, and tracks objects on the water to boost situational awareness and collision avoidance.
- **SELKIE** — Turnkey autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the company's first fully integrated autonomous vessel platform.
- **SMLINK & Fleetviewer** — Software APIs and a fleet-management dashboard for streaming vessel data, remote control integration, and multi-vessel command and monitoring.
- **JETSense Intelligent Voyage Control** — Autonomy and intelligent voyage control developed in partnership with HamiltonJet for waterjet-driven vessels.

## Achievements

- The Machine Odyssey (2021): a Damen tugboat, Nellie Bly, autonomously navigated over 1,000 nautical miles in 13 days around Denmark and through the Kiel Canal to Hamburg, commanded remotely from Boston.
- SM200 received type approvals from the American Bureau of Shipping and U.S. Coast Guard (2020) and Bureau Veritas (2022).
- Deployed autonomous systems on four continents.
- Selected to supply autonomy for the U.S. Marine Corps' Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel program.
- Launched SELKIE, its first turnkey autonomous USV, in 2024, and six new products in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Launched six new products aimed at highly-adaptive marine autonomy, responding to defense demand for commercially-driven fleet capability.
- **2024-04** — Unveiled SELKIE, its first turnkey autonomous unmanned surface vehicle.
- **2024-02** — Disclosed a $12M funding round to accelerate deployment of autonomous solutions.
- **2024-01** — David 'Chip' Wasson named CEO; founder Michael G. Johnson moved to President & CTO.

## Links

- Website: https://sea-machines.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sea-machines
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SeaMachines
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeaMachines
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seamachines/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/seamachinesrobotics/

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Last updated: 2026-07-18