Ocean Aero first partnered with Numurus to bring AI-powered automation to the ocean, using Numurus’s NEPI Engine software platform to rapidly integrate edge-AI processing for 360-degree maritime monitoring. That success proved how quickly advanced mission autonomy could be fielded on Ocean Aero’s TRITON hybrid vehicles. Building on that foundation, Numurus is now expanding on the initial effort to add additional automated mission capabilities into its TRITON platform. These include pan and tilt target tracking, auto-camera stabilization and event triggered data collection automation, all supported by NEPI’s intuitive browser-based user-interface system.
Past work: AI for maritime monitoring
The first collaboration began with a clear challenge. Ocean Aero needed to automate target detection and data collection on its TRITON autonomous surface-submersible vehicles without relying on constant operator input. This required connecting multiple fixed cameras, deploying onboard AI models, automating a high-resolution pan and tilt mounted camera, and streaming actionable information to remote centres.
The system detected and identified maritime threats autonomously and delivered information such as images, speeds and directions to operators. This reduced human workload, shortened response times and validated the power of edge AI for at-sea operations.
Traditionally, this would have meant many months of hardware integration and custom software development for a specific automation solution. With Numurus’s NEPI platform, however, Ocean Aero was able to use ready-to-go drivers, AI deployment tools and automation scripts to rapidly build and demonstrate the solution to customers in just a few months. “The combination of Numurus’s NEPI smart system software, off-the-shelf computer hardware and its responsive engineering support team was a big factor in the success of this project. It saved our internal team a lot of development work we’d otherwise have to do ourselves,” says Kevin Decker, CEO of Ocean Aero.
Current work: expanding mission autonomy
Building on that success, Ocean Aero and Numurus are now tackling new challenges. The focus has shifted from a single use case to a broader vision of smart autonomy for ocean vehicles. Current projects include integrating new sensors like thermal imaging cameras, creating adaptive control logic for improved target tracking and image stabilization, and expanding event-driven data collection automation tools able to adjust sensor settings in real time. The pan and tilt automation application has been updated to add significant mission capabilities while maintaining an intuitive user interface for end users. 
Recent efforts highlight the value of sensor fusion, where data from cameras, sonar and navigation systems is combined into a unified picture. By managing this complexity, the partnership is enabling vehicles to make faster, smarter decisions in real time. NEPI’s role remains the same: simplifying hardware integration and AI deployment so that Ocean Aero can test, validate and deliver new capabilities quickly.
Technology in focus
At the centre of the story is NEPI, Numurus’s open-source edge-AI software platform. NEPI simplifies the integration of disparate, complex software into a single software package that enables solution developers and integrators to bring smart inspection solutions to the market faster.
NEPI provides:
- A library of plug-and-play drivers for oceanographic sensors and payloads
- Integrated AI and automation applications for detection, tracking and event-driven automation and collection
- A low-code environment that lets developers and operators build mission workflows quickly, along with a complete ROS data and controls interface API.
These tools remove the heavy lifting associated with building all the underlying middleware, allowing the rapid development and deployment of inspection automation capabilities into any robotic or other in-field deployment platform.
More information
Interested in testing NEPI for your projects? Contact [email protected] to sign up as a beta tester for the new NEPI NVIDIA Jetson container release and receive a free licence.
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About Numurus
Numurus delivers turnkey plug-and-play edge AI solutions that simplify smart system development for automation and robotics. Its NEPI software platform and hardware solutions help organizations rapidly connect sensors, integrate AI models and automate real-time actions, without requiring deep programming expertise. With built-in drivers for a wide range of hardware, a browser-based low-code interface and a suite of integrated AI and automation applications, Numurus shortens development timelines from months or years to days or weeks. From industry professionals optimizing operations to researchers accelerating discoveries to students gaining hands-on experience, Numurus empowers users across science, education and commercial industries to harness the full potential of edge AI.