Their robot beats the strongest currents
Their robot beats the strongest currents
Jonas Wüst and Pragash Sivananthaguru met on account of their shared fascination for robots. In the meantime, business partners at home and abroad have shown interest in the two ETH Zurich graduates’ underwater drone.
“At the beginning, we didn‘t think that the project could one day become a company. We just wanted to build a robot,” says mechanical engineer Jonas Wüst. It was an acquaintance who brought electrical engineering student Pragash Sivananthaguru on board. When it came to deciding what kind of robot to build, they quickly saw the advantage of designing a system for underwater use as robotics wasn’t yet as advanced here as in other fields. After deciding to register for the world‘s largest student underwater robotics competition, the clock started ticking and life became rather stressful for the students who were still doing their Bachelor’s at the time. Pragash Sivananthaguru remembers: “During the day we studied and at night we tested our prototypes in the Bungertwies indoor swimming pool close to ETH.”
“It wouldn't have been possible to get this far without ETH backing.”
At the competition in the USA, the ETH team landed in the top ten. “Taking part in a competition right at the beginning of the project was a good stress test for the team – and we definitely passed,” Jonas Wüst says. This motivational boost was soon followed by another when they were contacted by the army: the unit responsible for explosive ordnance disposal and mine action were looking for a solution to salvage people and objects from murky or dangerous waters without endangering divers. After two years of collaboration, the Proteus prototype, originally designed for pool environments, was handed over to the new partner in May 2022. It has been in operation ever since and its inventors receive valuable feedback on a regular basis.
Robotics needs time
The research for their robot is complex and Jonas Wüst is convinced that it wouldn’t have been possible to get this far without ETH backing. For one, they have benefited from working in ETH Professor Roland Siegwart’s lab in an environment that has long been conducting research in this field, albeit for applications in the air. Secondly, they have been able to incorporate findings from around 20 semester, Bachelor’s and Master’s papers into their designs. “A lot of innovative thinking has come together,” Jonas Wüst says. They are currently in the process of applying for a patent. Since September 2022, the project has been funded by an ETH Pioneer Fellowship, a programme made possible by donors that helps support researchers with entrepreneurial ambitions commercialise their innovations by providing seed funding, access to infrastructure, and further training. Named after a Greek goddess of the sea, the start-up is called Tethys.
From the Rhine in Basel to the North Sea
Which markets do the young entrepreneurs, both born in 1996, have their sights on? First of all, the search and rescue market where potential customers would include military units, as mentioned, and the police. After the Second World War, for example, thousands of tonnes of ammunition were dumped in Swiss lakes. The job of defusing and salvaging them is dangerous for divers, but ideal for the underwater robot.
Another future application for Proteus could be in strong currents. “We recently carried out tests in the Rhine in Basel. Diving there is extremely strenuous. Humans are not made for that,” Jonas Wüst explains. Yet the underwater robot finds its way even in poor visibility as the ETH team has developed algorithms that can reconstruct maps from the data captured by acoustic sensors. If it drifts, the robot can quickly correct itself, again thanks to a sophisticated algorithm. Recently, the two researchers were even contacted by potential partners in Norway. Munition often also lies on the seabed of the North Sea where offshore wind turbines are to be built. Clearing these areas has always been very expensive, but Proteus, equipped with metal detectors, could do a good job here as it is not thrown off course by tidal currents.
In the longer term, Tethys also has its eye on the market for underwater infrastructure inspections: once wind farms are built, they need to be checked regularly for damages such as rust. Because of its hydroelectric infrastructure, Axpo is also interested in the start-up.
Technical expertise alone is not enough
The next milestone for the Tethys team is to convert the prototype into a product that can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. The robot is likely to cost a six-figure sum, although the price will depend heavily on the respective customer’s specifications. On the software side, the team is working on designing a usable interface for their customers. This doesn’t worry Jonas Wüst: “Technically, we’re well positioned. What we have to work on is winning new customers and building new partnerships, with everything this requires. That will mean looking for additional funding.”
A jump in at the deep end is how Jonas Wüst describes his experience of making the step from researcher to entrepreneur: “We’re still learning, but now we at least know what there is to learn.” The various forms of support at ETH, such as the Student Project House, and especially the contact with other start-ups, have been of great help. When asked about the planned Centre for Students and Entrepreneurs, which would bring initiatives created by students and entrepreneurs under one roof, Jonas Wüst says: “Something like that would definitely be important!”
