A British company that designed these modular underwater habitats says they could be used in everything from marine studies to security to tourism.
ADVERTISEMENT
Imagine living underwater, not just for a few hours during a dive, but for days, weeks, or even months.
A British company is working to create underwater habitats for long-term human exploration of the seas.
“We took a step back and recognized that the ocean, and particularly the subsurface, was one of humanity’s last blind spots,” explains Sean Wolpert, president of DEEP.
“We can see far into space, we can see near space and we can observe everything in our airspace, on land and on the surface of the ocean, but the only area where we have felt there was a big disconnect, not only in a tangible way, but also in a personal way, it’s between humanity and the ocean”, he added.
The ocean exploration and technology company plans to launch its first habitat, Vanguard, by the end of 2025.
Measuring 12m long and 7.5m wide, Vanguard will accommodate up to three individuals at depths of 100m. It is designed as a test bed for Sentinel, a larger and more advanced habitat scheduled for deployment in 2027.
While Vanguard is better suited to short-term missions involving professional divers, Sentinel will serve as long-term research platformaccommodating up to six occupants for extended missions of up to 28 days at depths of 200 m, according to the Ministry of the Environment and Regional Planning.
Sentinel will include dry and wet laboratories as well as a lunar pool – a structure that will allow divers to move seamlessly between the ocean and habitat.
This will allow researchers to collect and analyze samples from the seafloor in real time, reducing the need to return to the surface.
Making the ocean “sexy”
DEEP says the company is “what SpaceX is for space agencies, global navies and ocean research groups”.
The company believes that global navies monitoring critical underwater infrastructure will benefit from underwater habitats.
“Naturally, navies around the world are going to be interested in this. Critical underwater infrastructure is one of the most hotly contested areas. Much of the data we consume passes through undersea cables.”said Mr. Wolpert.
-Undersea cables, which transmit more than 95% of the world’s internet traffic, according to NATO, and pipelines carrying oil and gas are vulnerable to sabotage.
In recent years, Europe has experienced numerous incidents, such as pipeline sabotage Nord Stream in 2022, the Balticconnector gas pipeline incident in 2023 and the damage to submarine cables in the Baltic Sea in 2024.
“This is a critical transport of oil and gas. A very large part of this transport goes through underwater pipelines. So it is essential for navies around the world, whether they are in the west , east, south or north, to understand, protect, observe and maintain this essential infrastructure”said Mr. Wolpert.
ADVERTISEMENTSentinel could also serve as an underwater research station for biologists studying deep-sea ecosystems, while functioning as a tourist attraction such as an immersive aquarium.
“What we want is to have the same impact as SpaceX, which made space sexy again”said Mr. Wolpert.
“What we are looking to do, and I say this very humbly, is to reproduce this experience [Space X]to provide this platform and this capacity to attract the best minds who want to make a difference and innovate in the sea”he added.
Built by 3D printing robots
According to DEEP, Sentinel is built using a technique called “additive manufacturing by electric arc” by six 3.5 m high robots.
ADVERTISEMENTThis method is akin to a giant 3D printer, but instead of plastic, it uses metal wires to build the structure layer by layer to ensure the habitat can withstand the immense pressure from the depths of the ocean.
“We manufacture smarter. Rather than breaking down and using conventional manufacturing techniques, we build with much less waste”said Mr. Wolpert.
According to DEEP, underwater habitats can be re-assembled and redeployed like Legos because they are modular and transportable.
“You can have your upper deck berths in one of them and then the next one that’s connected. You can reconfigure the upper deck and turn it into an entire laboratory, giving you connectivity with your colleagues in the permanent laboratory”said Mr. Wolpert.
ADVERTISEMENTVanguard’s first deployment location has not yet been determined, but DEEP is in talks with potential customers in Europe, the Middle East and North America.
