But taking into account the area of the world's oceans, 315 miles is just a pebble to skip.
And the founder of OpenWater Power at MIT.
At the base in Somerville, it is a huge opportunity to see.
They are designing new energy storage systems for underwater robots, which they believe will allow longer sailing times.
If the 20 th century Navy wants the submarine to be "silent and deep" in the 21 st century, they want the submarine to "run independently and run for a long time ".
"OpenWater left the campus in last October, funded by a $450,000 grant from the United States Navy Naval Aviation Systems Command and the Department of Defense's Office of rapid response technology.
CEO Tom milness says the company is working on two different battery designs: Aluminum-
Sea version that requires seawater operation and must be ventilated;
And an aluminum.
A fully sealed version of potassium permanganate.
Milness said that the former may have 10 times the energy of lithium-ion batteries of similar sizes.
The latter can store three to five times as much energy. (
The right side of the photo is Milnes, and co-
Founder Ian Mackay and prototype battery. )
"The Navy wants to transition from manned ships and divers to self-driving vehicles," says Milns . ".
"But one of the obstacles they can't overcome is energy storage.
If your car can run for one day at a speed of three miles per hour, you are not far away.
Milnes says the chemical composition of OpenWater's new battery will be less stable than lithium-ion batteries.
It uses aluminum alloy as anode, platinum-
Coated titanium as cathode.
"We are working on these projects, especially for environments under water and pressure," he said . ".
OpenWater may look for partners to produce batteries, says milness. (
On the left is a reliable underwater robot made last year by Quincy's bluefin tuna robot, creating a endurance record. )
Milnes and McKay said the company's products are not only useful for underwater robots like the Navy's future LDUUV aircraft, but also for other marine robots.
Mobile devices such as floating sensors or communication devices.
"In the end, we think it's a pretty big-
Like GE's aircraft engine, it is expanding its business . "
"It may not be as gorgeous as Instagram or Twitter, but it fits us well.
"The founder of OpenWater was originally met in a course at MIT called" naval underwater system design.
"Both Ian and Rui got A," said Rice . ". (
Ruaridh Macdonald, the company's third founder, is still a student and has completed his PhD. )
If OpenWater's prototype reaches certain technical milestones, Milnes says it can "unlock another $3 million in [Navy]
March funded.
"This startup works in the Green City Lab Commons in Somerville.
Milnes has previously been involved in two startups in the field of 3D scanning and printing.
Brontes Technologies manufactured scanning equipment for dentists and sold it to 3 m for $95 million.
Viztu Technologies was acquired by 3D Systems in an undisclosed amount;
It has developed software that allows consumers to turn pictures and videos into printable objects.