From Labs to Open Waters: How a Waterloo Innovator Is Rethinking Maritime Security

When Dr. Maya Singh first walked into the electrical and computer engineering lab at the University of Waterloo, she was looking for a way to make her hobby – building remote‑controlled boats – matter on a larger scale. What started as a graduate project in 2018 has since grown into a full‑fledged company, NauticGuard, that promises to give coast guards, navies, and even private port operators a smarter eye on the water.

“We wanted something that could see, think and act, without a crew on board,” Singh explains, smiling as she points to a sleek 5‑metre autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) gliding across a test pond. The craft is equipped with a suite of lidar, sonar and hyperspectral cameras, all linked to a cloud‑based AI engine that can spot illegal fishing vessels, smuggling boats, or even floating debris in real time.

It isn’t just the hardware that’s impressive. The software behind NauticGuard’s platform learns from every patrol, sharpening its detection algorithms the more data it ingests. “It’s a little like teaching a dog new tricks,” Singh says, chuckling. “Except the dog never gets tired, never needs food, and can operate in a storm.”

Early trials with the Canadian Department of National Defence have been promising. In a joint exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia, the ASV identified a low‑profile skiff attempting to breach a restricted zone, flagged it to a patrol ship, and even relayed the skiff’s exact GPS coordinates within seconds. The naval officers on board praised the system’s speed and accuracy, noting that it freed them to focus on strategic decisions rather than scanning radar screens.

Beyond military uses, there’s a growing market among commercial port authorities grappling with congested waterways and environmental regulations. One pilot program at the Port of Vancouver is using NauticGuard’s technology to monitor water quality, detect oil slicks, and guide tugboats away from hazardous zones. “It’s a win‑win,” says port manager Elena Martinez. “We get safer operations and we keep the water cleaner – all without adding more human eyes on the job.”

Of course, scaling up isn’t without challenges. The ASVs must withstand salty air, occasional rogue waves, and the occasional curious seal. Singh’s team has spent countless nights in the university’s marine engineering workshop, iterating hull designs and waterproofing electronics. “We’ve learned to expect the unexpected,” she says. “Sometimes a gull will perch on the sensor and give us a false alarm. We just program the AI to ignore that.”

Funding, too, has been a roller‑coaster. After a modest seed round from university incubators, NauticGuard secured a $3 million Series A from a mix of venture capitalists and government innovation funds. The money is now being poured into expanding the fleet, improving battery life, and building a global operations centre in Waterloo.

Looking ahead, Singh dreams of swarms of smaller bots working together, sharing data like a school of fish. “The ocean is vast, but it doesn’t have to be a blind spot,” she says. “With the right technology, we can make our waters safer, cleaner, and more efficient for everyone.”