Team
The people
behind the project.
A multidisciplinary collective — communications, ecology, artificial intelligence — convinced that technology can serve the living world.
environmental problem → mission → scientific protocol → design → engineering → construction → field operation → data → communication
Core team
A field entrepreneur, sailor and media strategist, Elven turns complex scientific and environmental questions into projects able to mobilise the public, partners and territories.
He leads BIUTOPIC's vision, its strategic development, its partnerships and its field operations.
Through HYDRONAUTE and the Studio, he connects navigation, research, technology and storytelling to make knowledge of aquatic environments accessible and useful.
- Nearly ten years of international campaigns
- Offshore sailing and Pacific passages under sail
- Expeditions as far as the Arctic Circle
- Took part in a record plastic-removal operation in the Pacific
Former researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, he led projects in contrastive learning, natural language processing and image recognition using PyTorch, AWS and GCP.
Master's in theoretical physics (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology), over 7 years of R&D in machine learning applied to computational biology and predictive modelling. At BIUTOPIC, David develops the autonomous systems, onboard computing and data architecture — including the AI module for wildlife detection and obstacle avoidance.
LinkedIn →Arpie joined the project through her architecture thesis, in which she studied EXO-01 and drew an alternative version that we use as advice. She works on two axes: practical design solutions, and an experimental branch where she develops systems, prototypes and visual languages.
Through L'Hydronaute, her research also questions the tools used today by architects and designers: how they shape ideas, what they make possible, and where their limits begin.
LinkedIn →Partner workshop · La Mutine
La Mutine carried out the structural work on L'Hydronaute and is building the EXO‑01 assembly in its workshop (2026).
La Mutine is a craft workshop that designs and builds one-off construction and fit-out projects, from the first drawing to the finished piece.
lamutine.com →Structural fabrication, metalwork, EXO‑01 construction and physical integration — and solving the inevitable “how do we actually build this?” problems.
Custom fabrication, assembly, onboard integration and iterative workshop development — from prototype to the part that holds at sea.
Associate investor
A facilitator of dreams, Patricia makes her first investment with L'Hydronaute. What drives her is the values: transmission, ecology, solidarity.
Join the adventure
L'Hydronaute is looking for scientific partners, artist residencies, institutions and investors who share the same vision. If this project speaks to you, let's write the next chapter together.