Oshen C-Star Ocean Robot 2026: Survival in a Category 5 Hurricane

It's small, it's autonomous, and it just survived a Category 5 hurricane. Oshen, a UK-based startup, proved that its fleet of micro-robots can handle the deadliest conditions on Earth while streaming vital climate data.

The Oshen C-Star Ocean Robot 2026: Braving the Storm

Founded by aerospace engineer Anahita Laverack and electrical engineer Ciaran Dowds, Oshen's flagship C-Star robots are designed for endurance. During the 2025 hurricane season, the company deployed 15 units in partnership with NOAA. As Hurricane Humberto intensified into a Category 5 monster, three of these micro-bots stayed in the eye of the storm, collecting data throughout the entire event.

• Endurance: Designed to survive at sea for 100 days
• Scale: Low-cost and mass-deployable swarms
• Success: First robot to collect data in a Cat 5 hurricane

From a 25-Foot Sailboat to Global Contracts

The company's journey didn't start in a high-tech lab. In April 2022, Laverack and Dowds pooled their savings to buy a 25-foot sailboat, which served as both their home and testing platform. This lean approach allowed them to iterate quickly on their hardware before moving to their current hub in Plymouth.

Today, Oshen isn't just a research project. They're racking up contracts with the UK government and defense organizations. With plans to raise venture capital soon, the company is scaling to meet the global demand for high-resolution ocean intelligence.