“Most of us can’t imagine what it will be like when the whole ocean system collapses,” says Colin Angus, CTO and cofounder Open Ocean Robotics, a tech startup that makes autonomous boats.

The effects of ocean collapse cannot be overstated. If our oceans fail, then humans will experience suffering on an unprecedented scale and life on earth, as we currently know it, ceases to exist. And that’s the future we face if we don’t do a better job of protecting our oceans.

That’s why Angus and his wife Julie co-founded Open Ocean Robotics. The company’s fleet of autonomous boats are designed to manlessly patrol the ocean, collecting a variety of critical data.

“Our goal is to help industries operate sustainably on the ocean,” Julie says. “What we can’t measure, we can’t protect. What we can’t see, we can’t change. If we don’t understand the impacts we’re having on our oceans, we’ll never change our behavior.”