Together, they explore the fascinating intersection of cutting-edge robotics and technical diving. Vickie shares the incredible story of how the Sunfish robot was born from a desire to map unexplored underwater caves and has since evolved into a tool capable of navigating some of the planet's most extreme environments—from the depths of Wakulla Springs to the icy waters of Antarctica, and perhaps one day, the oceans of Jupiter's moon, Europa. They discuss the unique challenges of building a robot that can think for itself in a cave, the differences between ROVs and AUVs, and how these machines are not replacing divers, but working alongside them to push the boundaries of exploration.

In this episode, we discuss:

- The Birth of Sunfish: How a casual conversation about mapping caves led to the creation of an autonomous, hovering underwater robot.

- ROVs vs. AUVs: Understanding the difference between a tethered remote-controlled vehicle and a robot that can think and navigate independently.

- Cave Diving Robots: Why navigating a cave is one of the hardest challenges for an AUV, and how Sunfish uses sonar and spatial AI to find its way.

- From Florida to Space: The journey from testing in Wakulla Springs to being tasked by NASA to develop technology for exploring extraterrestrial oceans.

- Robots and Divers as Teammates: How technology like Sunfish can assist human divers in data collection, infrastructure inspection, and reaching depths beyond human limits.

- The Future of Underwater Exploration: What's next for the Sunfish team, including the development of new "Nova fish" and the ongoing quest for full autonomy.

You can learn more about Vickie Siegel and her team's work by searching for Sunfish AUV online, or by following their ongoing projects as they continue to explore the underwater world.

About the Guest: Vickie Siegel is the co-founder of Sunfish. She’s also a badass cave explorer, expedition leader with experience in running complex logistics in extreme environments.

Connect with Sunfish and Vickie Siegel:

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• ​LinkedIn:

• ​Facebook:

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• ​Email:

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