JOURNEY
2023—2026
From the first line of research, to what we are on right now, to where it goes next. Build it, dive it, fix it, dive it again. Past, present, and intent — as one continuous record.
2023
Where it began
We started researching vSLAM for underwater self-localization. A first appearance at MATLAB EXPO 2023 earned us 1st place — our first real signal that this could work.
2024
Proving it out
Over 30 river dives with Triton-Lite hardened our reliability. We took the top prize at the 2024 Weather Observation Instrument Contest and 2nd place at MATLAB EXPO 2024.
2025
Into the deep, and outward
Triton-3 reached 89 m at Lake Biwa. The year brought MITOU Junior 2025 Super Creator recognition (UmiNavi), the Hankyu Travel Award at JSEC2025, and the Sasaki Yoshikazu Award — momentum across research and recognition alike.
Recognition
14th High School/Technical College Meteorological Observation Equipment Contest
Sasaki Yoshikazu Award · WNI Weather Culture Creation Center
JSEC2025
Partner Company Award · The Asahi Shimbun / TV Asahi
Mitou Junior 2025
Super Creator · Mitou Foundation
Free Research EXPO 2025
Gold + 2 Company Awards · Tomonokai Co., Ltd.
Now
Last updated = latest news date (2026.06)
Current phase
Autonomy at 1/100th the cost
Our goal: high-performance autonomy at roughly 1/100th the cost of conventional ocean drones ($300k–$5M). We are integrating AI fish detection, tracking, and classification with LTE/GPS linkup on surfacing.
Recent activity
In progress
- Foundation
2026
- Expansion
2027
- —
Beyond
Next
We are not building vehicles alone. We are building underwater observation infrastructure where data accumulates and becomes comparable.
2027
Expansion
- Surface vessel (mothership) integration
- Operational network expansion
Beyond
- Aquaculture monitoring platform
- Climate and environmental observation infrastructure