SM300 / SM200
[commercial]maritime_surface · food-service · 1 deployments in catalog
Verified: Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founder Michael Johnson) is an autonomy-SYSTEM vendor: it sells the autonomy brain (SM300/SM200), the customer owns/operates the boat. Late-2024 leadership: David 'Chip' Wasson (ex-Huntington Ingalls) became CEO, Johnson -> President/CTO - a defense-pull hire, NOT a distress signal (record 2024 sales + defense expansion). '200+ systems delivered worldwide'. $10M Series C (Mar 2025); ~$52M total raised., Model + maturity (distinct): Autonomy-system SALE (B2B technology vendor), distinct from Saildrone (operator) and the vessel makers. The registry should credit it with UNITS DELIVERED (200+), NOT sea-days (its autonomy runs on others' hulls). maturity=commercial (real shipping product, class approval, 200+ deliveries); pilot-to-commercial in defense. Strongest regulatory signal of the commercial set: explicitly class-society-approved hardware., AI-substance: genuine (system): Edge perception, COLREGS-style collision avoidance, path-following, remote command - substantive autonomy stack, not veneer. Honest caveat: it is autonomy software/hardware on someone else's hull, so 'operational scale at sea' is not directly Sea-Machines-attributable., Claimed but NOT verified: Specific class society (unnamed); named commercial customers; SM300-SP '100 units/month' actual throughput (stated capability); exact funding total; specific Navy program/contract value.
Manufacturer
Sea Machines RoboticsForm Factor
maritime_surface
Lifecycle
commercial
Operational Reality
Audited
Deployments
1
Target Price
Not publicly disclosed
- COMMERCIAL
Description
Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founded by Michael Johnson) is an autonomy-system vendor for surface vessels rather than a vessel maker: its SM300 and SM200 autonomous-command systems are vessel-agnostic retrofit kits, about ten components installed in two days or less on existing or new-build workboats from 10 to 300 feet, so the customer owns and operates the boat while Sea Machines supplies the autonomy brain. The September 2025 SM300-NG adds class-society-approved hardware, a 200-percent compute increase, full voyage control with collision avoidance and sensor fusion, and worldwide remote command, alongside an attritable SM300-SP defense variant. A late-2024 leadership transition saw David Wasson, formerly of Huntington Ingalls, become CEO with founder Johnson moving to president and chief technology officer, a defense-pull hire rather than a distress signal given record 2024 sales and a defense expansion, on a $10 million Series C in March 2025 and about $52 million total raised. The registry records it at commercial maturity on the strength of a real shipping product, class-society approval, and more than 200 systems delivered worldwide, and it credits the company with units delivered rather than sea-days, since its autonomy runs on other companies' hulls and operational scale at sea is not directly attributable to it. Its autonomy is genuine, with edge perception, collision avoidance, path-following, and remote command, and it holds the strongest regulatory signal of the commercial set in its class-society-approved hardware, while the specific class society, named commercial customers, the SM300-SP hundred-units-per-month throughput, and specific defense contract values are not verified.
Key facts & specs
- website
- https://sea-machines.com/news/sea-machines-sm300-ng-launch/
- maturity
- commercial
- lifecycle
- active
- manufacturer
- Sea Machines Robotics
- deployments count
- 1
- Maturity stage
- commercial
- Specs
- SM300 / SM200 autonomous-command systems: vessel-agnostic autonomy retrofit kits installed on existing/new-build workboats (10-300 ft), ~10 components, install in <=2 days. SM300-NG (Sept 2025): class-society-approved hardware, +200% compute, full voyage control, COLREGS-style collision avoidance, ENC/radar/AIS/video fusion, worldwide remote command. SM300-SP: attritable/volume-production defense variant (claimed >100 units/month). Founded by Michael Johnson; Boston.
- Form Factor
- maritime (autonomous-command SYSTEM retrofit for surface vessels; vessel-agnostic, not a vessel)
- Vessel size range
- 10 to 300 feet
- Install time
- 2 days or less
- Components
- approximately 10
- Systems delivered
- more than 200 worldwide
- Total funding raised
- approximately $52 million
Availability and pricing
- price
- Not publicly disclosed
- lead time
- Not disclosed
- sales model
- Not disclosed
- availability
- Not sold (internal use)
- units in field
- Not disclosed
- pricing Model
- Not disclosed
Safety record
No incidents on record for SM300 / SM200.
Supply chain
- NVIDIACOMPUTE / SEMICONDUCTORNVIDIA NVIDIA DRIVE compute -- autonomous situational awareness and perception for SM300/SM200
NVIDIA NVIDIA DRIVE compute -- autonomous situational awareness and perception for SM300/SM200
FAQ
What is SM300 / SM200?
Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founded by Michael Johnson) is an autonomy-system vendor for surface vessels rather than a vessel maker: its SM300 and SM200 autonomous-command systems are vessel-agnostic retrofit kits, about ten components installed in two days or less on existing or new-build workboats from 10 to 300 feet, so the customer owns and operates the boat while Sea Machines supplies the autonomy brain. The September 2025 SM300-NG adds class-society-approved hardware, a 200-percent compute increase, full voyage control with collision avoidance and sensor fusion, and worldwide remote command, alongside an attritable SM300-SP defense variant. A late-2024 leadership transition saw David Wasson, formerly of Huntington Ingalls, become CEO with founder Johnson moving to president and chief technology officer, a defense-pull hire rather than a distress signal given record 2024 sales and a defense expansion, on a $10 million Series C in March 2025 and about $52 million total raised. The registry records it at commercial maturity on the strength of a real shipping product, class-society approval, and more than 200 systems delivered worldwide, and it credits the company with units delivered rather than sea-days, since its autonomy runs on other companies' hulls and operational scale at sea is not directly attributable to it. Its autonomy is genuine, with edge perception, collision avoidance, path-following, and remote command, and it holds the strongest regulatory signal of the commercial set in its class-society-approved hardware, while the specific class society, named commercial customers, the SM300-SP hundred-units-per-month throughput, and specific defense contract values are not verified.
Is SM300 / SM200 actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. SM300 / SM200 is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes SM300 / SM200?
SM300 / SM200 is made by Sea Machines Robotics, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, founded in 2018.
Where is SM300 / SM200 deployed?
1 verified deployment of SM300 / SM200 is on the DEPLOY registry, including at California.
Can you buy SM300 / SM200?
SM300 / SM200 is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to SM300 / SM200?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable maritime_surface robots to SM300 / SM200 include Corsair, Voyager, Surveyor, Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor).
How does SM300 / SM200 compare to Corsair?
SM300 / SM200 and Corsair (Saronic Technologies · 8 deployments) are both maritime_surface robots on the DEPLOY registry. SM300 / SM200 has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is SM300 / SM200 a top maritime_surface?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, SM300 / SM200 ranks in roughly the top 75% of maritime_surface models tracked by the registry.
What is SM300 / SM200's maturity stage?
SM300 / SM200 is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is SM300 / SM200 safe?
SM300 / SM200 has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.