Boxfish Robotics

🔴 Hidden Below: The Great Lakes is taking their viewers to another Hidden Below: LIVE expedition, this time to the Middle Island Sinkhole, a remarkable underwater ecosystem that offers a glimpse into conditions thought to resemble Earth billions of years ago. With their Boxfish Luna ROV they will explore this unique environment LIVE and with scientists to provide expert insight into what they're seeing and discovering. Tune in live or watch the recording afterwards.

What can Lake Huron tell us about early life on Earth?

Hidden beneath the waters of Lake Huron lies the Middle Island Sinkhole, an extraordinary underwater world where the past comes to life.

Formed over thousands of years as groundwater dissolved the limestone beneath the lakebed, this 80-foot-deep sinkhole is home to a rare ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the Great Lakes. Its vast carpets of colourful bacteria, splotched with shades of purple, brown, and white, offer scientists a glimpse into conditions that resemble Earth as it was 2.5 billion years ago.

Now, for the first time, you can explore this underwater time capsule LIVE as we team up with NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Great Lakes Now to bring viewers into the sinkhole using our high-resolution remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

Watch divers collect samples in real time and have your questions answered by Dr. Bopaiah Biddanda, an Aquatic Microbial Ecologist who has spent years studying this unique ecosystem, and Sarah Morrison from Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, who will share how the sanctuary supports researchers uncovering the secrets of the sinkhole.

This September, discover a place few people have ever seen and uncover the story of life’s earliest chapters hidden beneath Lake Huron.

September 16, 11:00 A.M. ET
Tune in LIVE with Great Lakes Now
*The livestream date and time are weather dependent and may change. Follow along for updates.

For a long time, collecting high-quality underwater data has often required specialist vessels, significant field time and complex logistics.

At Boxfish Robotics, we’re focused on changing that.

Our Boxfish AUVs are designed for repeatable underwater surveys with the image quality and positional accuracy needed for marine science, environmental monitoring and inspection while remaining easy to deploy and operate in the field.

The real value isn’t just the vehicle itself. It’s the ability to move from occasional surveys to more regular, repeatable data collection that supports better decisions and a deeper understanding of the underwater environment.

Resident monitoring is the next step. The same Boxfish AUV platform can evolve into the ARV-i resident vehicle, enabling longer-term monitoring of selected sites with less reliance on frequent vessel mobilisation.

Special thanks to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise and New Zealand Story for the recent photoshoot and for capturing these images.

A week of great conversations, new connections and fresh perspectives at our first 🪸

With delegates from 93 countries, the conference brought together an incredible community focused on better understanding and protecting coral reef ecosystems.

Throughout the week, we spoke with researchers, conservation organisations and students from around the world. While the challenges facing reefs are significant, it was encouraging to see so many people actively working on solutions and willing to openly share their experiences, successes and lessons learned.

We were proud to see such a strong New Zealand presence, including the Professor James J. Bell of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington alongside teams from the University of Auckland, AUT, University of Waikato -Tauranga and Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Boxfish stand and shared insights from their research, reef monitoring, restoration and conservation programmes. A special thank you to the next generation of Int. SeaKeepers Society for taking the time to explore our AUV solutions.

We leave ICRS inspired by the work being undertaken around the world and excited about the opportunities to support the global coral reef community with better tools for underwater data collection.

Inspecting tunnels in zero visibility presents a significant challenge. Unknown geometry, confined access and the inability to rely on camera-based inspection make conventional methods ineffective.

During a recent inspection, Deep Dive Division deployed a Boxfish ROV to assess a 163‑metre tunnel in near zero visibility conditions, using imaging sonar for controlled navigation and pipe profiling sonar to capture continuous cross‑sectional data along the full length.

The resulting dataset was reconstructed into a full 3D model, providing a clear representation of tunnel geometry, sediment accumulation and structural condition. Combined with Deep Dive Division’s multidisciplinary expertise, this enabled clear and actionable insight into the asset.

Full case study link in the comments.

Content prepared in collaboration with Deep Dive Division.

Operating a hovering AUV close to the seabed delivers the image quality and repeatability scientists and inspectors need, but it also places the vehicle in the most challenging part of the environment. Infrastructure, natural relief, moorings, debris and biological structures can all become collision risks during low altitude surveys.

In our recent blog, we break down how the Boxfish AUV performs obstacle avoidance during low altitude surveys, illustrating how sensing and onboard autonomy allow the vehicle to adapt its path and altitude.

How Does Boxfish AUV Obstacle Avoidance Work Learn how Boxfish AUV obstacle avoidance works using DVL‑based awareness and stereo cameras, and why it is critical for safe, repeatable environmental surveys.

Tasmania’s amazing deep-reef creatures feature in new research videos | Australian Marine Parks | Parks Australia Research into some of the fascinating deep-reef species found in the marine parks off Tasmania has been showcased in 2 short documentaries produced by the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Parks Australia.