Maker Buoy Shop grew out of a 2016 experiment with an Arduino-based buoy launched off Norfolk, Virginia, reflecting its practical interest in applying the Internet of Things to the ocean. The shop develops low-cost, solar-powered drifting buoys for users who need inexpensive ocean tracking, and its design is now used to provide information on ocean currents. It also adapts buoy systems for remote terrestrial monitoring.
Maiden Wave Energy LLCSince filing its first ocean-energy patent in 2007, Maiden Wave Energy LLC has developed autonomous boats powered by wave energy for ocean observation and environmental data collection. The Greater Baltimore-area small business has tested 23 prototype or proof-of-concept vessels across 19 bodies of water and built seven boats for the DOE- and NOAA-funded Ocean Observation prize, where it won the BUILD competition after demonstrating its technology at the U.S. Navy’s Carderock wave-testing tank. Its current work includes a self-propelled floating rover and longer-duration autonomous vessels intended to collect data without fuel or a crew aboard.336612BALA CYNWYD, PA
Brightwaters Instrument CorporationFounded in 1990, Brightwaters Instrument Corporation builds custom and semicustom scientific and oceanographic equipment, including autonomous drifting buoys, and provides OEM design and manufacturing services. The privately held New York company specializes in systems that combine environmental sensing with GPS and satellite telemetry, serving government, university, and private-sector research programs. Its support extends beyond delivery with around-the-clock field assistance, equipment repair, and refurbishment for instruments used at sea.BRIGHTWATERS, NY
POEM Technology, LLCFounded in 2013 by former Brookhaven Labs engineer Arnold Stillman, Plainview-based POEM Technology makes internet-connected monitoring devices that track heating-oil tank levels in real time. Its iLevel system is designed for quick installation and gives homeowners and fuel distributors online access to tank data and configurable alerts. In 2017, the company was selected for Cleantech Open Northeast for the product’s potential to change the oil and heating industry.PLAINVIEW, NY
MinnowtechFounded in Baltimore in 2018, Minnowtech develops sonar-based aquaculture technology that helps shrimp farmers measure pond populations and biomass. Its BRS-1 sits below the water’s surface, sending data to the cloud so farmers can track shrimp in real time rather than estimate through turbid water. The company grew from a collaboration between fisheries scientist Dr. Suzan Shahrestani and startup studio Early Charm, with operations also reported in Hawaii.BALTIMORE, MD