The UK company that designed the modular underwater habitats says they could be used for everything from marine studies and tourism to security.
Imagine living underwater, not just for a few hours on a dive, but for days, weeks, or even months.
One UK-based company is working on creating underwater habitats for long-term human sea exploration.
“We took a step back and recognised that the ocean, and particularly beneath the surface of the ocean was one of the last remaining blind spots for humanity,” said Sean Wolpert, the president of DEEP.
“We can see deep into space, we can see near space, and we can observe anything in our airspace, on land and on the surface of the ocean, but the one area where we felt there was a large disconnect, not only in that kind of tangible way, but also in a personal way, was between humanity and the ocean,” he added.
The oceanic exploration and tech company plans to launch its first habitat, Vanguard, by the end of 2025.
Measuring 12 m long and 7.5 m wide, Vanguard will accommodate up to three individuals at depths of 100 m and is designed as a testbed for Sentinel, a larger and more advanced habitat slated for deployment in 2027.
While Vanguard is better suited for short-term missions involving professional divers, Sentinel will serve as a long-term platform for research, housing up to six occupants for extended missions of up to 28 days at depths of 200 m, according to DEEP.
Sentinel will include wet and dry labs and a moon pool – a structure that allows divers to travel seamlessly between the ocean and the habitat.
This would allow researchers to collect and analyse samples from the seabed in real time, reducing the need to come to the surface.
Making the ocean ‘sexy’
DEEP says the company is “what SpaceX is to the space agencies to global navies and oceanographic research groups”.
The company believes global navies monitoring critical undersea infrastructure will benefit from the undersea habitats.
“Naturally, you’re going to have an interest from global navies. One of the hotly contested areas is critical undersea infrastructure. A large majority of the data that we consume goes through subsea cables,” Wolpert said.
Submarine cables, which transmit over 95 per cent of global internet traffic, according to NATO, and pipelines carrying oil and gas are vulnerable to sabotage.
In recent years, Europe has seen multiple incidents, such as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, the Balticconnector gas pipeline incident in 2023, and undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea in 2024.
“You look at critical transport of oil, of gas. There’s a very large chunk of that that goes through subsea pipes. So understanding and protecting and observing and being able to maintain that critical infrastructure is of paramount importance to global navies, whether they’re in the West, the East, the South or the North,” Wolpert said.
Sentinel could also serve as an underwater research station for biologists studying deep-sea ecosystems, while also functioning as a tourist attraction such as an immersive aquarium.
“What we want to do is have the same impact that SpaceX had on making space sexy once again,” Wolpert said.
“What we’re looking to use this for, and I’m saying very humbly, is to replicate that [Space X] experience, provide that platform and that capability to attract the best minds that want to go and make a difference and innovate in the sea,” he added.
Built by 3D printing robots
According to DEEP, Sentinel is being built using a technique called wire-arc additive manufacturing by six 3.5 m tall robots.
This method is like a giant 3D printer, but instead of plastic, it uses metal wire to build the structure layer-by-layer to make sure the habitat can withstand the immense pressure of the deep ocean.
“We are manufacturing in a smarter way. Rather than breaking down and conventional manufacturing techniques, we’re building up much less wasteful,” Wolpert said.
DEEP says the underwater habitats can be reassembled and redeployed like Legos as they are modular and transportable.
“You can have your bunks on the top deck in one and then the next one that’s connected. You can reconfigure that top deck and turn it into an entire laboratory, providing you that connectivity up to your colleagues in the bricks and mortar lab,” Wolpert said.
While Vanguard’s first deployment location is yet to be determined, DEEP is in discussions with potential clients across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
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