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Robot model

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…

Track SM300 / SM200
Manufacturer
Sea Machines Robotics
Form factor
maritime_surface
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1
Website
sea-machines.com ↗

Overview

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.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
Verified deployments
1 deployment on file
Sources on file
3 sources, view all

Key facts

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

Specs

Notes

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.

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)

Data & sources

Press releases

2

Web sources

1

3 sources backing this record.View all →

Availability and pricing

Availability
Not sold (internal use)
Price
Not publicly disclosed
Units in field
Not disclosed
Sales model
Not disclosed
Lead time
Not disclosed

Pricing

No verified price is on record for SM300 / SM200. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (1)

  • SM300 / SM200 at Californiaoperational

    Foss Maritime Company deployed the Sea Machines SM300 autonomous command system on its harbor tug Rachael Allen, operating in California waters providing tanker escort and ship-assist services.

SM300 / SM200 on the deployment map

Where SM300 / SM200 is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Manufacturer-attributed media (1)

Manufacturer-supplied media at the model level. Not tied to an independently verified named-site deployment. Verification posture is product-showcase from the maker, distinct from the deployment-verified evidence in the section above.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Sea Machines Robotics

Sea Machines Robotics' introduction of its SM300. The SM300 is an autonomous-command and remote-helm control system retrofitted onto an existing workboat, not a vessel itself: the boat shown is the host platform, not a Sea Machines product.

Supply chain (1)

Compute / semiconductor

  • NVIDIANVIDIA DRIVE compute -- autonomous situational awareness and perception for SM300/SM200supplies

Suppliers appear here when verified with at least two strong sources (maker-official / IR / regulatory / standards-body / verified tier-2). Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history.

Safety record

No incidents on record for SM300 / SM200.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (3)

  1. https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo
  2. https://sea-machines.com/news/sea-machines-sm300-ng-launch/
  3. https://sea-machines.com/products/

Compare SM300 / SM200

Common questions

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.
How much does SM300 / SM200 cost?
SM300 / SM200's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for SM300 / SM200 from Sea Machines Robotics. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
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.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (2 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: maritime_surface

Sources by quality tier

2
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure
1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for SM300 / SM200.

Recent coverage

SM300 / SM200 in third-party press

Sea Machines STORMRUNNER USV supports counter-UAS capability test

Jun 30, 2026

Sea Machines Announces Emerging Record Year of Bookings and Global Growth Fueled by USV Adoption

Apr 22, 2026