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BIUTOPIC

Shared infrastructure
for living systems.

Full figure

EXO-01

Experimental platform of the HYDRONAUTE programme

Hermit crab and its anemones

A reversible retrofit kit designed to add electric propulsion, solar energy, stability and sensors to existing hulls — and, in time, the robotics stack tested on HYDRO-01. Designed to be replicated.

Frame
4.95 × 4.55 m, 2.70 m high
Buoyancy
6 Flofiz floats, 1.60 m × Ø 0.60 m
Propulsion
2 Rim Drive Technology POD 5.0 pods, 5 kW each
Energy
4 DualSun 500 W panels (2 kWp) · 2 Dyness batteries, 32.1 kWh
Built at
La Mutine workshop, Nantes

Prototype in development

See the technology

L'Hydronaute

Shared floating laboratory

Hull turned reef

The shared floating laboratory: a single navigation carries research, baseline data, robotics and citizen science.

Hull
Renaud 8000 barge (1987), 8.00 × 2.98 m
With EXO-01
about 9 × 4.55 m
Role
Shared floating laboratory

Integration and mooring framework in preparation

Subject to the required authorisations.

Discover the boat

HYDRO-01

Compact environmental monitoring platform

Scout bees ahead of their swarm

Compact robotic platform for environmental monitoring — autonomous, remotely supervised, tested at sea. ArduPilot, ROS 2 and Jetson-based perception: the stack we then transfer to larger platforms.

Base
Blue Robotics BlueBoat, equipped and programmed by BIUTOPIC
Stack
ArduPilot · ROS 2 · Jetson-based perception
Field
Sea trials, Faroe Islands, 2026

Field-tested

Follow the trials

Surface robotics · electric boat retrofit · Nantes

Shared infrastructure for living systems.

Ecological design, engineering and science for the living world.

BIUTOPIC develops a reversible nautical retrofit system, demonstrated through a shared floating laboratory.

Build a project Explore our platforms
  • Sea trials completed — Faroe Islands, 2026
  • EXO-01 in build — La Mutine workshop, 07/2026
  • ArduPilot · ROS 2 · Jetson stack running on HYDRO-01

Social and solidarity economy company, ESUS-accredited · Nantes, France

Two BIUTOPIC team members carry the HYDRO-01 autonomous platform into a Faroe Islands fjord
HYDRO-01 — launch, Faroe Islands. Photo : @aaron_gekoski

Environmental need

water · biodiversity · pollution

Into the field

Scout bees ahead of their swarm HYDRO-01 compact platform
Hull turned reef L'Hydronaute floating laboratory
Hermit crab and its anemones EXO-01 modular retrofit architecture
  1. Observe
  2. Measure
  3. Experiment
  4. Act
  5. Verify
  • Data
  • Science
  • Action

Better decisions for living systems

↺ and back into the field

  • Researchers
  • Municipalities
  • Associations
  • Citizens
Observe the living world, understand it, test solutions, act — and measure the change.

What we build

Equip the boats that already exist.

EXO-01: the retrofit demonstrator, in build at the La Mutine workshop (07/2026). L'Hydronaute: our first boat and its scientific mission — ecology, citizen science, an ESUS company; in preparation. HYDRO-01: robotic surface platform, field-tested in the Faroe Islands in 2026. Next aim: EXO-02, for freight, then the sea.

Robotics stack

One stack, from drone to boat.

Autonomy
ArduPilot · MAVLinkRemotely supervised navigation.
Middleware
ROS 2Sensors, data, mission modules.
Perception
NVIDIA JetsonOnboard AI vision.
Sensors
Cameras · LiDAR · GPS · acousticsFitted per mission.

Running on HYDRO-01 Planned for EXO-01

Build with us

What we can build with you.

  • Water quality
  • eDNA sampling support
  • Microplastics
  • Hydroacoustics
  • Cyanobacteria
  • All services →
Tell us about your needs

From small to large · HYDRO-01 → EXO-01

  1. 01 HYDRO-01 opens up Sea-tested in the Faroe Islands, 2026.
  2. 02 The brain moves across as is Autopilot, GNSS, onboard compute, radio: the same ArduPilot · MAVLink · ROS 2 stack. Planned for EXO-01.
  3. 03 Motors and batteries scale up Same role, same protocol: from the drone’s thrusters to two 5 kW pods, from its battery to EXO-01’s 32 kWh.
The BIUTOPIC team configures HYDRO-01 on a laptop, in a Faroe Islands valley
Faroe Islands, 2026. Photo : @aaron_gekoski

HYDRO-01 · Field trials North Atlantic campaign — 2026

The prototype is already in the field.

HYDRO-01 was tested in real sea conditions in the Faroe Islands (2026): supervised navigation, communications, energy, environmental missions.

Discover HYDRO-01 Technical appendix

What the field taught us — preliminary learnings, logs being consolidated

Waterproofing

Moisture gets in before water does: cable glands and hatches reworked.

Communications

One 4G link loss (recovered via fallback procedure): dual-link design is now a priority.

Energy

Cold cuts usable battery capacity: safety margins widened.

Roadmap

Demonstrate, operate, standardise, replicate, network.

01 Demonstrate 02 Operate 03 Standardise 04 Replicate 05 Network

Current phase · Demonstrate EXO-01 in build, Hydronaute in preparation.

Naturalist plate: two trees linked underground by the mycorrhizal network

BIUTOPIC Studio

Useful ideas need to be understood, seen and shared.

Discover the Studio
Naturalist plate: a nectar-feeding bat over a cactus flower

Education & training · Programme in the making

Learn, experiment, pass it on.

  • Water sampling
  • Boat electrification

On-board workshops for young people, participatory science for adults and associations, field training for professionals. We are aiming for Qualiopi certification by mid-2027.

This programme is still to be built, with teachers, researchers and associations.

Co-create an education project

ESS / ESUS mission

Economic activity in service of a social and environmental mission.

BIUTOPIC is a social and solidarity economy company with ESUS accreditation: extending the life of what exists, sharing tools to understand and protect ecosystems.

  • Repair and reuse before replacing
  • Share infrastructure and knowledge
  • Use technology for real function, not novelty

Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 6 — Clean water and sanitation
  • SDG 9 — Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • SDG 11 — Sustainable cities and communities
  • SDG 14 — Life below water
  • SDG 15 — Life on land
  • SDG 17 — Partnerships for the goals

With support from Bpifrance · France Active · Réseau Initiative Nantes · Région Pays de la Loire — France 2030

Who we work with

Who we work with.

Cities, ports & waterway operators

Environmental monitoring, territorial pilots.

Researchers, universities & students

Shared research access: €150 excl. VAT / researcher / day.

Environmental organisations

Measurement and advocacy grounded in real data.

Technology developers

Robotics, energy, sensors — real-condition trials.

Citizens & the public

Citizen science, workshops, the 3D game.

Instagram

Right now, on the water

Build a project with BIUTOPIC.

Let’s talk about what your waters need to say.

I have an environmental challenge. I'd like to explore a research or technology partnership. I'm interested in documenting or supporting the mission. I'd like to co-create an education project.

Something else