# SM300 / SM200 Manufacturer: [Sea Machines Robotics](/companies/sea-machines) Category: maritime ## Summary Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founded by Michael Johnson) is the autonomy-system-vendor archetype of the maritime category: it makes the autonomy brain, not the boat. Its SM300 and SM200 autonomous-command systems are vessel-agnostic retrofit kits, about ten components installed in two days or less on existing or new-build workboats from 10 to 300 feet, so the customer owns and operates the hull while Sea Machines licenses the autonomy onto it. The September 2025 SM300-NG adds class-society-approved hardware, a 200-percent compute increase, full voyage control with collision avoidance and sensor fusion, and worldwide remote command, alongside an attritable SM300-SP defense variant. A late-2024 leadership change brought David Wasson (formerly of Huntington Ingalls) in as CEO with founder Johnson moving to president and CTO, a defense-pull hire on a $10M Series C (March 2025) and about $52M total raised. DEPLOY records it at commercial maturity on a real shipping product, class-society approval, and more than 200 systems delivered worldwide, and it credits the company with units delivered rather than sea-days, since its autonomy runs on other companies' hulls. The SM300-SP claim of more than 100 units a month is a stated production rate. As a B2B autonomy licensing business, no consumer price is published. ## Top line > SM300 / SM200 is internal use only (not for retail), no capability claims are on file, the model has no verified field deployments in the registry, and no incidents are on record. ## Readiness - **Availability** (internal-only): Internal use only (not for retail). - **Price honesty** (no-price): No price points on file for SM300 / SM200. - **Capability honesty** (no-claims): No reviewed capability claims on file for SM300 / SM200. - **Real-world use** (commercial): Maturity: commercial. No verified deployments in the registry. - **Safety record** (no-incidents): No incidents on record. No verified deployments either. ## What it claims to do _No reviewed capability claims on file._ ## Price _No reviewed price points on file._ ## Real-world use _No verified deployments on file for SM300 / SM200._ ## Safety record _No incidents on record. No verified deployments either, so the absence is uninformative._ ## Privacy _No privacy practices disclosed or on file for SM300 / SM200._ ## Specs - **notes**: [{"label":"Verified","value":"Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founder Michael Johnson) is an autonomy-SYSTEM vendor: it sells the autonomy brain (SM300/SM200), the customer owns/operates the boat. Late-2024 leadership: David 'Chip' Wasson (ex-Huntington Ingalls) became CEO, Johnson -> President/CTO - a defense-pull hire, NOT a distress signal (record 2024 sales + defense expansion). '200+ systems delivered worldwide'. $10M Series C (Mar 2025); ~$52M total raised."},{"label":"Model + maturity (distinct)","value":"Autonomy-system SALE (B2B technology vendor), distinct from Saildrone (operator) and the vessel makers. The registry should credit it with UNITS DELIVERED (200+), NOT sea-days (its autonomy runs on others' hulls). maturity=commercial (real shipping product, class approval, 200+ deliveries); pilot-to-commercial in defense. Strongest regulatory signal of the commercial set: explicitly class-society-approved hardware."},{"label":"AI-substance: genuine (system)","value":"Edge perception, COLREGS-style collision avoidance, path-following, remote command - substantive autonomy stack, not veneer. Honest caveat: it is autonomy software/hardware on someone else's hull, so 'operational scale at sea' is not directly Sea-Machines-attributable."},{"label":"Claimed but NOT verified","value":"Specific class society (unnamed); named commercial customers; SM300-SP '100 units/month' actual throughput (stated capability); exact funding total; specific Navy program/contract value."}] - **specs**: SM300 / SM200 autonomous-command systems: vessel-agnostic autonomy retrofit kits installed on existing/new-build workboats (10-300 ft), ~10 components, install in <=2 days. SM300-NG (Sept 2025): class-society-approved hardware, +200% compute, full voyage control, COLREGS-style collision avoidance, ENC/radar/AIS/video fusion, worldwide remote command. SM300-SP: attritable/volume-production defense variant (claimed >100 units/month). Founded by Michael Johnson; Boston. - **formFactor**: maritime (autonomous-command SYSTEM retrofit for surface vessels; vessel-agnostic, not a vessel) ## What's under the hood _No brain on file for SM300 / SM200._ ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the SM300 / SM200 actually available for purchase? Not available to consumers. In internal use by Sea Machines Robotics. _Source: [Sea Machines: Wasson CEO (ex-HII), Johnson -> President/CTO (late 2024; defense-pull, not distress)](https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo)._ ### What does the SM300 / SM200 cost? Not announced. ### Where is the SM300 / SM200 being used? No verified field deployments on record. ### Is the SM300 / SM200 safe? No incidents on record, but with no verified field deployments either, the absence is uninformative. ### How does the SM300 / SM200 handle privacy? No privacy practices disclosed or on file for SM300 / SM200. ### Who makes the SM300 / SM200? SM300 / SM200 is made by Sea Machines Robotics, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. _Source: [Sea Machines: Wasson CEO (ex-HII), Johnson -> President/CTO (late 2024; defense-pull, not distress)](https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo)._ ## Manufacturer - [Sea Machines Robotics (https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo)](https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo) ## Compared to - [Saronic USV (Corsair / Mirage / Marauder)](/consumer/models/saronic-usv) - [Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor)](/consumer/models/saildrone-usv) ## Sources 1. [Sea Machines: Wasson CEO (ex-HII), Johnson -> President/CTO (late 2024; defense-pull, not distress)](https://www.workboat.com/coastal-inland-waterways/sea-machines-names-new-ceo) 2. [Sea Machines SM300-NG (class-society-approved; +200% compute; full voyage control) + SM300-SP defense](https://sea-machines.com/news/sea-machines-sm300-ng-launch/) 3. [Sea Machines SM300/SM200 autonomous-command systems (vessel-agnostic retrofit; 200+ delivered)](https://sea-machines.com/products/) _Canonical: https://deploy.report/models/sea-machines-sm300_