Hydromea: Cutting the Underwater Cord
Hydromea is a Swiss deep‑tech spin‑off from EPFL in Lausanne, founded in 2014 to “cut the cord” on underwater asset inspection and monitoring. Its team of engineers and roboticists has created a suite of compact, battery‑powered underwater drones and optical wireless modems that enable real‑time high‑definition video and data transmission beneath the waves. By combining proprietary LUMA optical communications modems with lightweight hubless thrusters and an untethered ROV platform (ExRay), Hydromea addresses longstanding limitations of subsea operations – such as the risk and expense of tethered inspections – in a novel way. Its products aim to make underwater infrastructure surveys and surveillance faster, safer and less reliant on large support vessels. This capability is increasingly relevant as Europe and its allies expand offshore wind farms, subsea cables and maritime patrols, where real-time data links and autonomous robots can fill critical gaps. Hydromea’s story – from two EPFL PhD projects in underwater swarms to a funded startup – hints at a strategic opportunity. It offers a home‑grown solution to subsea communications and robotics that could strengthen Europe’s industrial base and defense autonomy in the underwater domain, potentially justifying closer support from European innovation programs and allied partners to realize its full potential.