Applied Acoustic Launches New Subsea Positioning System

Applied Acoustic Engineering (AAE) has announced the launch of a new ultra-short baseline subsea positioning system, Pyxis USBL.

AAE says the system is ideal for very shallow operations such as diver monitoring, for deeper applications where ROV’s and AUV’s might be deployed, and for tracking short or long-range towed sensors such as magnetometers and side scan sonars.

"The combination of AAE’s Sigma 2 acoustic protocols and SBG Systems high precision Navsight Apogee Marine INS brings together two leading names in the field of marine technology, resulting in AAE’s most accurate and long-range positioning system to date, and in the process providing many time, cost and performance benefits to global survey operators," AAE said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Pyxis USBL is a portable, calibration-free system able to immediately operate from any vessel as soon as the work site has been reached.  The MEMS-based INS does not fall under ITAR regulations, and the range-restricted option means the whole system can be shipped unhindered and without export control to almost anywhere in the world.  A feature of the Pyxis system is the ability for the operator to deactivate the range restriction in the field under an export-controlled regime," AAE said.

A spokesperson for SBG Systems said: “AAE and SBG Systems have collaborated for several years on different projects and have established an excellent relationship. We are thrilled that Applied Acoustics has selected our Navsight Apogee OEM high-performance system to be integrated into the first-ever USBL to embed a MEMS INS”.