Mission Vision

To apply robotic technology to solving large-scale environmental challenges and to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through our efforts.

There is boundless potential for robotic technology to address environmental catastrophes. Recognizing this, Colin Angle, chairman, chief executive officer and founder of iRobot and Erika Angle, chief executive officer of Science From Scientists, have founded Robots in Service of the Environment (RSE). RSE is an independent non-profit organization, not affiliated with iRobot, that is focused on developing robots to solve environmental problems. Started with initial funding from the Anthropocene Institute, Schmidt Marine Technology Partners and the Angle Family, the non-profit's first initiative is to develop an undersea robot to slow the destruction caused by lionfish, an invasive species drastically reducing biodiversity and coral reef health in all warm waters of the western Atlantic. By combining technology development with mass manufacturing techniques, RSE offers a unique set of capabilities to solve some of the world's most challenging environmental problems on a massive scale.

Fervent scuba divers and travelers, Colin and Erika Angle are deeply aware of how fragile the marine ecosystem is and the importance of biodiversity in our oceans. In 2015, on a diving trip to Bermuda, Colin and Erika Angle came face-to-face with the lionfish and saw the devastating reduction to biodiversity and damage to the coral reef that these voracious fish were creating.

During Colin and Erika’s trip to Bermuda, they happened to join a diving excursion with some of Bermuda’s top environmentalists including Geoff Gardner, Chairman of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute; Helen Gardner, Executive Team member of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute; Chris Flook, Collector of Specimens at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo; Graham Maddocks, president and founder of the Ocean Support Foundation; and Philippe Rouja, Custodian of Historic Shipwrecks for Bermuda.

After seeing first-hand the damage being caused by lionfish, this ignited the passions of the group and a conversation about the technological solutions robots could offer reaching lionfish populations below a safe depth for sport divers ensued. RSE was born over sushi and Bermudian beer, and the lionfish robot platform soon came to life.