Subsea Technology and the New Routes to Residency
and in the US Gulf of Mexico. In August, Norway’s IKM Subsea reached a 100-day continuous subsea operations milestone with its tethered Merlin UCV R-ROV at the Snorre B facility offshore Norway, where it’s been based since 2018, along with a tool stand, supported by on and offshore staff.Oceaneering has been supplying ROV services through its E-ROV – an electric ROV deployed in a cage with batteries from which it can work for weeks at a time wherever it’s been put – while its Freedom ROV (more of a hybrid AUV/ROV) was expected to start untethered offshore trials in August
AUV Case Study: Marine Roboticists are Turning AUV Sight into Perception
In 2018, marine robotics scientist Arjuna Balasuriya was at the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) in Newport, Rhode Island, testing new software for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). In the past, his AUV research had meant long ocean cruises in rough choppy waters, but for the moment, he was analyzing his algorithms from a comfortable dry seat on land.Balasuriya and his team from Charles River Analytics were developing an app for the AUVs made by Teledyne Gavia, which could navigate on their own in the oceans to take sonar surveys of the seafloor. But to be truly autonomous, they needed
Tracking Climate Change onboard SeaExplorer
An innovative tool for assessing the impact of climate change in the ocean: measuring pCO2 at sea with the SeaExplorer underwater gliderUnderstanding the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle and its response to a changing environment is of crucial interest. The ocean is indeed known to be the only true net sink for anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and without this oceanic uptake, atmospheric CO2 would be significantly higher today than what is currently observed. The impact of this ocean acidification can already be perceived and current projections suggest that those changes will persist
Valeport launches new sensors for subsea survey
Valeport launched two new sensors for ROVs/AUVs and subsea survey.The new miniIPS2 and new uvSVX, which both offer operationally specific interchangeable pressure transducers that deliver enhanced accuracy for specific depth ranges. These field-swappable sensor heads make it easy for users to select the correct pressure range for their work and offer increased accuracy at any depth, alongside streamlining benefits to users who previously required different instruments for shallow and deep water. The smart miniIPS2 underwater pressure sensor has an accuracy to 0.01%. Key to the design is the
Interview: RDML Gallaudet Steers NOAA’s Path Toward Uncrewed Maritime Systems
NOAA and the United States Navy recently signed a new agreement to jointly expand the development and operations of unmanned maritime systems in the nation’s coastal and world’s ocean waters. Headlining MTR’s Autonomous Vehicle Operations coverage this month is our interview with retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, for insights on the direction and pace of the use of unmanned maritime systems for NOAA’s future.When did you realize that yours would be a career dedicated to Oceanograph
Charting Terradepth's Big Ambitions in the Unmanned Vehicle Space
Ocean mapping at scale is the target of a new unmanned systems player started by two ex-US Navy SEALS. They have big ambitions, from new building unmanned vehicles to creating the intelligence that will drive them to changing how accessible ocean data is. Elaine Maslin learned more. The pace of change in the ocean mapping space has been fast in recent years. New entrants have come into the scene offering “force multiplier” mapping using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Shell’s Ocean X-Prize challenged technology developers to come up
Gulf Copper Wins Contract to Refurbish NOAA's Henry B. Bigelow
a $3.9 million dry docking and refurbishment of the NOAA research vessel Henry B. Bigelow. The work will be performed at Gulf Copper's Galveston yard.Commissioned in 2007 and homeported in Newport, R.I., Henry B. Bigelow is a fisheries survey vessel that studies a wide range of marine life and ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast, primarily from Maine to North Carolina. The ship's main mission is to study and monitor fish stocks, but it also conducts habitat assessments and surveys marine mammal and seabird populations.Launched in September 2005, the 208-foot Henry B. Bigelow was built
Ocean Startup Challenge Shortlists 31 Companies for Prize
After 158 applications flooded in for the Ocean Startup Challenge, the industry reviewers have shortlisted 31 companies to vie for 10 prizes of $25,000 and in-kind support from partners.“Applicants accepted our challenge by proposing creative solutions to solve industry hurdles, with more than a third of the shortlisted companies having ocean technologies in the earliest stages of development,” said Don Grant, Executive Director, Ocean Startup Project. “Another 19 shortlisted companies applied with working prototypes.”The shortlisted solutions involve environmental monitoring
Sensor Systems Improve Marine Navigation Near US Naval Bases
Maritime navigational safety near two U.S. Navy installations in Kings Bay, Ga., and Portsmouth, N.H. has been improved thanks to new Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems, also known as PORTS, installed by NOAA and the U.S. Navy. They are the first new PORTS in two years, and the 34th and 35th in the nationwide network.The system near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, the East Coast home to America’s Ohio-class submarines, is an integrated series of sensors which will provide critical real-time information on oceanographic and meteorological conditions. This will increase the navigation safety
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
Kraken Wins Pair of Navy Contracts
Canada-based marine technology company Kraken Robotics Inc. announced Tuesday it has won a pair of contracts to supply mine-hunting equipment to the navies in Denmark and Poland.The firm said it signed a $27.3 million (CAD 36 million) contract with Danish Ministry of Defense, Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) to supply mine-hunting sonar equipment to the Royal Danish Navy, and on September 1 it inked a deal to supply mine-hunting systems to the Polish Navy.The winner of a competitive bid process, Kraken will deliver its KATFISH towed Synthetic Aperture Sonar, Tentacle Winch and Autonomous
Partnering on the Digital Ship: Inside Denmark’s ShippingLab
When will the first fully digitized, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship be ready to sail? The answer is uncertain but the Danish Maritime Authority’s ShippingLab project aims to have most of the technical and managerial challenges solved in as little as two years from now. Tom Mulligan reports.Denmark’s ShippingLab project is a three-year initiative that commenced its work in March 2019 with the aim of developing the first fully commercially operational, fully digital, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship. There are almost 30 partners working together within ShippingLab
"World First": Remote In-water Ship Surveys via ROV
As COVID-19 continues to challenge many business plans and practices, the advent of remote inspection techniques is growing in popularity. What is reported to be the world’s first in-water remote ship surveys using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) have been completed by DNV GL.In-water bottom surveys using ROVs have now been carried out on three separate Wilson ASA-managed vessels with the first having been completed on the Wilson Fedje in December 2019 by a surveyor from Høvik. The survey was performed earlier in July on another ASA Wilson-managed vessel in Bergen, Norway. Elias Triantafy
Kraken Gets $3m Funding for ThunderFish XL Development
Kraken Robotics will receive a $2,909,891 non-refundable financial contribution from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). The funding will be received over a 26-month project period and will be used to support the development of Kraken’s seabed resident ThunderFish XL Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (TFXL AUV).Building from the previous development efforts of the ThunderFish Alpha AUV, the ThunderFish XL AUV will be larger and with an increased depth rating, have a larger payload capacity and have longer mission endurance. Most importantl
R&D: Robotics Advances Inside the ORCA Hub
, navigate, station keep for the ROV and much more for the AUV that must process its sensor data to understand where things are around it, e.g. from a sonar, and adapt its mission plan when the unexpected happens. It has to do this onboard (at the edge) because communication links are so poor in the ocean, without a cable. Autonomous vehicles have no choice but to control themselves, therefore. Similar to autonomous cars, only the underwater community of roboticists have been developing these systems since seriously for over 25 years.”The Imperial College London drone demonstrating autonomous
USS Delivers Unmanned Surface Vessel to Tetra Tech
UK-based Unmanned Survey Solutions has delivered an Inception Class MKII semi-autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) to consulting and engineering company Tetra Tech.According to USS, the Inception Class MKII USV is a sensor agnostic, semi-autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) composed of tough aluminum hulls, weed cutting power propellers, and a versatile modular payload pod system. It has been designed to conduct survey operations in areas such as harbours, ports, lakes, lagoons, mining ponds and other shallow water zones. It can be operated by Remote-Control (RC) or as a semi-autonom
Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms.There could be a lot to gain from robotics, but platforms and offshore wind turbine structures are also very challenging places to put them on. For oil and gas, key drivers are around safety and cost . For the offshore wind sector, the sheer volume of structures being installed is driving a push for robotic systems
Arctic Rays Debuts New Submersible Monitoring System
Arctic Rays, LLC has launched a compact submersible monitoring system for use in 1 atmosphere pressure housings.Designed specifically for manned submersible battery pods and electronics housings where immediate detection of leaks is critical, the monitoring system is suited for other applications as well.The 90.5mm x 51mm x 19mm single-board system monitors for ground faults, leaks and includes on-board barometric pressure, temperature and humidity sensors. The ground fault system monitors both poles of two independent DC busses up to 350V. The leak detection system can monitor up to eight
Ocean Influencer: Mike Read, Teledyne Marine
part of Teledyne Technologies Inc. Through acquisitions and collaboration, it has evolved into a powerhouse, with a large breadth of technology, including: vehicles, instruments, imaging, interconnect and seismic solutions. Here are some latest technology advances:Z-Boat 1800T, Trimble Edition(Teledyne Oceanscience)Teledyne Marine’s new Z-Boat 1800T ready for your next inspection or mapping project.The Z-BOAT 1800-T is a high-resolution shallow water hydrographic unmanned survey vehicle with an Odom Echotrac E20 Singlebeam Echosounder and dual antenna Trimble BX992 GNSS heading receiver. Each sensor
Ocean Influencer: Graham Hawkes, HAWX Open Ocean
The July/August edition of Marine Technology Reporter, the 15th Annual "MTR100", recognizes Graham Hawkes a subsea innovator, explorer, inventor and pusher of boundaries. A pioneer in the realm of ocean engineering, he’s designed and built more than 60 manned submersibles—everything from atmospheric dive suits to flying subs. As a test pilot, he’s maintained the deepest solo dive record for more than 20 years. He’s also the founder of HAWX Open Ocean LLC, created to design and build revolutionary marine technologies that enable undersea access to all.Inspired by
Ocean Influencer: Karl Kenny, Kraken Robotics
; Robotics as a Service (RaaS); Data Analytics as a Service (DaaS); Digital Twins – Karl Kenny and his Kraken Robotics team are embarked on a plan to grow, but it’s a growth trajectory that’s bigger than one company, one product, one service; it’s a growth trajectory as big as the oceans themselves. But make no mistake, while the product and service platform of Kraken continues to grow diverse, Kraken’s focus is laser sharp: build a complete vertical subsea platform, that is scalable, to help bring about meaningful change for all subsea industry stakeholders.Kenny is pushing
Fugro ROV Supports North Sea Link Cable Installation
Fugro has completed a contract for Nexans to provide remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey and monitoring support services to lay the North Sea Link cable through a mountain and along a lakebed in Norway.National Grid NSN Link Ltd and Statnett SF are building an electricity interconnector between Kvilldal in Norway and Blyth in the UK which, on completion, will be the longest subsea interconnector in the world.Fugro, based in the Netherlands, provided survey and monitoring solutions to support the installation of two cables through the mountain between Hylsfjorden and Lake Suldalsvatnet, and along
Bennett Joins Kraken Board
Kraken Robotics Inc. announced that Cathy Bennett has joined the company’s board of directors.Bennett brings more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business executive, and corporate director across private, public and non-profit entities. Her experience crosses multiple sectors including the government, energy, manufacturing, mining, restaurants, telecom, and technology sectors. Bennett was a Member of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2014 to 2018 as well as Minister of Finance and the Status of Women. A seasoned corporate director, Bennett holds an ICD.
Fugro Orders Two SEA-KIT USVs
Dutch offshore surveying services provider Fugro has ordered two 12-meter SEA-KIT X class uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), with one bound for their Asia-Pacific region and the other for North Sea operations.Ivar de Josselin de Jong, Director Remote Inspection at Fugro, said, “This order cements Fugro’s strategy to lead the development of remote and autonomous solutions, which is key to delivering a safer, more sustainable and more efficient approach to the construction and maintenance of marine assets. Integration of the new USVs into our global network of remote operation centers (ROC)
Tech File: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Crew-less Vessels
The move to autonomy on the world's waterways is undeniable, with the direction clear, the pace hazy. What is clear is the need for reliable, fuel efficient propulsion, and last month Torqueedo announced a deal to provide hybrid-electric propulsion systems to power XOCEAN’s XO-450 USV, a custom-designed composite wave-piercing catamaran about the length of a typical automobile.XOCEAN is embarked on a mission to to transform the way subsea data is collected, and the three-year-old company based in Ireland provides turnkey underwater data acquisition services with its growing fleet of innovative
Halter Marine Wins US Navy Contract for the T-AGOS Program
Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder Halter Marine Inc. said Monday it has been awarded a contract for industrial studies for the auxiliary general ocean surveillance ship (T-AGOS(X)) program.The U.S. Navy awarded the $981,000 contract for the T-AGOS class series of vessels, which ultimately will replace the existing fleet of four T-AGOS 19 and one T-AGOS 23 small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) ships, which are reaching the end of their service lives. The contract is for a 12-month study to perform trade-off studies and analyses of the Navy design.“We have designed, constructed and delivered more
Del Mar Oceanographic, RBR Ink Deal
Del Mar Oceanographic (DMO) and RBR signed a collaboration agreement for the provision of Wirewalkers with RBR CTDs and sensors in Australia and New Zealand.The DMO Wirewalker, originally designed at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is a field-proven vertically profiling instrument platform powered by ocean waves. Attached to a free-drifting or moored buoy, the Wirewalker ratchets downward along a suspension wire under wave power. At a predetermined depth, the ratchet releases and the profiler then ascends at its terminal velocity (~0.5m/s), completely decoupled from sea-surface motion.
Quiet Seas Open Subsea Soundscape Exploration
The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) has seized on the quiet brought about by the COVID-19 lockdown to map the underwater soundscape of the Belgian section of the North Sea.Using its AutoNaut USV research vessel, Adhemar, VLIZ has been able to record current noise levels, which will be compared with the marine soundscape once normal sea traffic and marine activities recommence, helping to better determine the impact of man-made noise on natural sea life and the marine environment.Following a 15% fall in shipping intensity in the North Sea since the start of the pandemic, VLIZ put its AutoNaut USV
Ocean Infinity Completes Guyana Survey for ExxonMobil
Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has completed its survey project for ExxonMobil, within the enormous Stabroek block offshore Guyana, where the oil giant has over the recent few years discovered more than 8 billion barrels of oil.The project, announced in February, involved acquiring high-resolution geophysical and geotechnical data through the simultaneous deployment of multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), in water depths of between 70m and 2150m over an area of approximately 3,100 square km.The Stabroek Block itself, located approximately 120 miles offshore Guyana, is 6.
Swathe Services Takes Delivery of SBG Ekinox Navsight INS
Swathe Services has recently added the SBG Ekinox Navsight to its equipment demo pool. After trials on manned and unmanned vessels operating under bridges, in harbors and offshore for hydrographic applications, the performance of the Ekinox Inertial Navigation System (INS) has been exceptional, the company reports.Its small compact subsea form factor and weight makes this system light and easy to install with portable sonar systems. It is suited for shallow water applications and comes at a good price, the manufacturer says.James Williams, Managing Director at Swathe, says, "Since we became the
Navy Mine Countermeasures Contract Awarded
ECA Group awarded UMS SKELDAR a procurement contract to supply the UAV SKELDAR V-200 as part of the naval mine countermeasures capability replacement, a program led by Belgium Naval & Robotics – a consortium including Naval Group and ECA Group – which will supply 12 mine hunters equipped with drone systems (Toolbox) to the Belgian and Royal Netherlands navies.Working across 12 new generation ships (six each for the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies), this contract is the first to materialize the stand-off concept by using a Toolbox – a system composed of a variety of drones to
Video: Seaspan Shipyards Launches CCGS John Cabot
Strategy (NSS), the Government of Canada’s strategy to renew the fleets of the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. Two ships have been delivered and the third launched from Seaspan’s Vancouver shipyard over the course of 13 months.The OFSV is fully equipped to support Fisheries and Oceans scientists in the collection and analysis of data on Canada’s marine ecosystems and the impacts of climate change. The floating laboratories features a full suite of state-of-the-art systems, including a deployable sensor-laden drop keel, high-tech fishing trawls and four science labs &mdash
Army Corps' Data Driven to Improve Coastal Projects
damage. Because of this, residents contacted us. They sought information about damages and if rebuilding was needed. We were able to use the data to better respond to their inquiries."This data is also available to the public and other agencies. The JALBTCX team posts the data on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Digital Coast website. The website is a multiyear archive of survey data acquired along U.S. coasts by partners in the Federal mapping community and some state agencies. A person is able to search for a specific coastal area, learn about available data
NORBIT Scores 'Major' Sonar Systems Order in North America
multiple NORBIT multibeam sonar systems, iWBMSh STX, which is a turnkey multibeam sonar system to be used for 3D and 4D bathymetric surveys and seafloor mapping, NORBIT said."The value of the order is approximately NOK 11 million [USD 1,1 million ] and the order is expected to be delivered from the Oceans segment during the third quarter this year," NORBIT said.The company did not say who the client was.This is the second contract award announced by NORBIT this week.NORBIT on Tuesday said it had won a contract with an existing customer within the aquaculture market
NORBIT Wins Contract in Aquaculture Space
from this customer, proving the value of our product," says Per Jørgen Weisethaunet, CEO of NORBIT.The value of the contract is approximately NOK 10 million (USD $1 million) and the order is expected to be delivered during the second half of 2020. The order falls under the company's Oceans segment. NORBIT did not say who the client was, nor what exactly the scope of the delivery was.NORBIT in 2018 established its Oceans business segment targeting the global offshore, maritime, and aquaculture markets.In the aquaculture segment of the Oceans business branch, NORBIT Aqua provides a
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Installs Wind LiDAR in New Jersey
by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, will provide observations of wind profiles up to several hundred feet in a location directly on the land/sea boundary.Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Shell and EDF, installed the LiDAR in collaboration with the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) and the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS).The LiDAR will be in place for the next several years, collecting real-time weather observations contributing to ongoing research, monitoring modeling and data synthesis efforts of both Atlantic Shores Offshore
Poland's Ministry of Defense Orders Gavia AUVs
Teledyne Marine – Vehicles announced the Ministry of Defense of Poland has procured, through Remontowa Shipbuilding two additional Gavia autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) for its second and third Kormoran Class new MCMV. The anticipated delivery of two systems will be added to the current Gavia AUV fleet, which has been operated by the Polish Navy for Naval Mine CounterMeasures (NMCM).To complement the Gavia AUVs previously procured, the acquisition will include all required topside equipment, as well as the AUV operation and maintenance training.In 2014, Teledyne Gavia completed a competitive
USVs: A Solution for Inspecting Dams and Guarding Waterways
The widely reported dam failures in Central Michigan this spring highlighted the dangers of aging infrastructure. As an op-ed in The New York Times, “Dam Failures Are a Warning,” suggested, “Two dams down, a few thousand to go.” It was not meant to be a sensational statement. Deteriorating infrastructure is an issue for most countries. Many nations have systems in place to evaluate and grade the state of their national infrastructure. In the United States, the nation’s civil engineers provide an assessment of the nation’s sixteen infrastructure categories using an
ION Geophysical, PGS in 2D Data Team-Up
Offshore seismic data companies ION Geophysical and PGS have agreed to collaborate globally on 2D exploration data. "Both companies have modern, high-quality multi-client data libraries that together cover all the significant hydrocarbon provinces around the world. The new joint data library will comprise nearly a million kilometers of uniquely complementary data, including many areas of genuine broadband seismic, that have substantial opportunity for integration and reimaging," the companies said.The companies said that ION's latest imaging technology and PGS' broadband 2D
Seed Funding to Commercialize ANB's pH Sensing Tech
ANB Sensors reports it has secured "a sizeable, oversubscribed investment round" to enable commercialization of its novel calibration-free pH measuring technologiesThe financing is a co-investment by Hatch Blue, an early-stage aquaculture venture capital firm and angel investors, experienced industry professionals represented by Namier Capital Partners.ANB Sensors is aiming to provide a solution to meet the demands required for a truly networked solution. The tech is based on a voltammetric electrochemical technique to verify the performance of the reference electrode and calibrate it
Ocean Power Technologies Launches Hybrid PowerBuoy
Ocean Power Technologies, an ocean energy technology developer, has expanded its offering with the latest product called the hybrid PowerBuoy.The hybrid PowerBuoy is a buoy that offers remote power for subsea and topside applications, data communications, and a nominal 1.5-megawatt-hours of energy storage. While OPT is known for its moored floating buoys - such as OPT PB3 PowerBuoy - that harvest and store wave energy, this buoy is a hybrid, meaning it doesn't necessarily depend on waves to generate power, as it utilizes solar panels and a Stirling backup engine to power topside or subsea
For the Royal Australian Navy, Technological Leap Starts Small
(M 82) will be 21 years old this May. The MHCs are slow and are not always available where and when they are needed. Furthermore, they need to enter mined areas to find the mines. Captain Bryan Parker, the RAN’s Commander Mine Warfare, Clearance Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological, Oceanographic and Patrol Force (COMMHP), said the Task Group MCM capability aimed to provide a tactical capability essential to reducing the hazard of mines in the littoral maritime domain for Navy’s deployed Fleet, while also minimizing direct exposure of its personnel to dangerous sea mines
Staying Vigilant On and Beneath the Waterline
The ocean is a very large and increasingly congested place. More and more shipping and industry is using it. But the risks hidden below the waterline, that established navigational tools don’t always detect, remain.But what if the trend for new surface-based sensor technology, the likes of which enable cars to detect potential collision hazards, could be available for shipping to detect underwater obstacles?That’s just what Sonardyne International Ltd. has developed with its new Vigilant forward looking sonar (FLS). Instead of a visual parking aid, which shows you the view behind your car
SBG Systems Unveils New Line of Miniature Inertial Sensors
SBG Systems introduced the third generation of its line of miniature inertial sensors called the Ellipse Series. This renewed product line benefits from a 64bit architecture allowing high precision signal processing. All the INS/GNSS now embed a dual-frequency, quad constellations GNSS receiver for centimetric position and higher orientation accuracy.The Ellipse Series line is composed of four models: the Ellipse-A is a motion sensor, the Ellipse-E provides navigation with an external GNSS receiver, the Ellipse-N is a single antenna RTK GNSS/INS and the Ellipse-D is a dual-antenna RTK GNSS/INS.
Drone Specialist Cyberhawk Lands 5-Year Deal with Shell
Drone-based inspection company Cyberhawk has said it has signed a five-year, multimillion-dollar software contract with oil giant Shell.Under the contract, Cyberhawk will provide its cloud-based asset visualization software iHawk for all onshore, offshore, and subsea assets, as well as all global construction projects."The contract follows the successful integration of iHawk at a construction project valued at over $6bn in the USA, where it is now being used by over 800 monthly users and has been rolled out at further sites in the UK, Central America, and Africa," Cyberhawk said.Cyberhawk
Using High Res 3D Meshes for improved Shape Reconstuction of Marine Survey Data
, the point cloud data can be improved, and a more accurate mesh created in Fledermaus. There are also specialized tools, such as the SfM add-on for Qimera, which can be used to correct for refraction errors in submerged data acquired from airborne photogrammetry, as shown in Figure 3 (Data courtesy 4DOcean). The image shows a beach profile running from land to underwater with the original terrestrial and bathymetric SfM points, and the refraction corrected SfM terrain model derived from the same source, but after the correction. The original terrain model's profile is colored in Red and the
FarSounder Signs on NAVSEA UUV Project
FarSounder said Tuesday it has been selected as a subcontractor on a research and development project led by GMATEK Inc. This project is contracted by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Program Executive Office - Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO-USC).The research project will apply machine learning and deep-learning artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify solutions and develop a system to mitigate and compensate for sensor degradation on board unmanned surface and undersea vehicles (USV/UUV). GMATEK will include FarSounder’s newest product the Argos 350 among
WHOI: Ocean “Pumped” to Capture More Atmospheric Carbon
While scientists have long known the essential role that the ocean plays in capturing atmospheric carbon, a new study from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows the efficiency of this natural pump has been underestimated.The ocean’s “biological pump” is a critical part of the global carbon cycle and relies on phytoplankton, single-cell organisms that use photosynthesis to turn light into energy—consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen in the process. When phytoplankton die or are eaten by zooplankton, carbon-rich fragments sink into the ocean, then consumed by
Autonomous ANTX: Seismic Survey Tech and Port Security
could be relevant to other markets. The idea that it could support naval assets came up within the last couple of years and resulted in ION getting involved in ANTX. The event is run every year by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) out of Newport, Rhode Island, and CNMOC (Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command), based at Stennis, MS.For ANTX 2019, ION proposed a joint exercise with AutoNaut, a UK based wave propelled unmanned surface vessel (USV) developer, part of the Seiche group of companies, to address the ANTX Marine Security theme. An AutoNaut USV would provide environmental monitoring
Iver3 AUV Upgrades Ordered for the Royal Navy
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) received an order to upgrade three Iver3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) to be used in support of the Royal Navy’s Project Wilton. L3Harris will upgrade the Iver3 vehicles with the capability to integrate high accuracy navigation sensors and advanced communications for surface tracking, with collaborative autonomy architecture and automatic target recognition. The Royal Navy will use the upgraded Iver vehicles during unmanned mine hunting and other missions.The Project Wilton program will provide a portable route survey capability using a suite of
Kongsberg's LARS for Ocean Infinity's Armada Robotic Ships
Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has signed its first contract for its ROV launch & recovery system (LARS) specifically designed to handle remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from unmanned vessels.The contract has been signed with Ocean Infinity, who will install the system on their Armada fleet of robotic ships.To remind, US-based seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a new marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Armada, with a focus on combining technology and environmental
Flooded Member Detection Using ROVs
VideoRay, a global leader in inspection-class ROVs, has implemented the new ISFMD Flooded Member Detection (FMD) system manufactured by Impact Subsea, a UK-based subsea technology company specializing in high-performance sensors, as an available option for their Mission Specialist Defender series of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).The Mission Specialist Defender is a robust ROV designed for precise control of the vehicle position and orientation, heavier payloads, and demanding intervention. As such, it has seven thrusters enabling it to move in any direction and maintain an active pitch to face the
Sonardyne USBLs Installed on Brazilian Geoscience Vessels
Brazilian geoscience services company OceanPact Geociências has chosen deep water positioning technology from Sonardyne Brasil Ltda. to support its geophysical, geotechnical and environmental research operations across the region.Ranger 2 Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL) systems have been installed on board OceanPact’s research vessels Seward Johnson and Austral Abrolhos, both currently on hire to Brazilian oil major Petrobras. The systems will be used to precisely track the location of underwater equipment and sensor packages deployed from the ships, including seabed corers, towed sensors and
Hybrid AUV Completes Depth of Burial Survey for Offshore Wind Farm
Modus Seabed Intervention completed a high speed bathymetric and depth of burial survey of the inter array cable routes on the innogy operated Gwynt-y-Môr offshore wind farm, using the Modus HAUV-2 (Hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) .The Gwynt-y-Môr Offshore Wind Farm comprises 160 Siemens 3.6MW WTGs located approximately 8 miles from the North Wales coast in Liverpool Bay in water depths ranging between 12m and 28m. The WTG’s are connected by 161 inter array cables which total circa 147km in length. The worksite is known for high subsea currents, so any solution had to
One-on-One with Mark Kenny, GM, Unmanned Maritime Systems, L3Harris
. The Iver4 provides an open interface and optional payload section for third party sensor providers to integrate their own hardware and software. Titanium and carbon fiber construction maximizes the useable volume in the pressure hull and decreases maintenance requirements when operating in harsh, open ocean environments.Photo: L3Harri
RS Aqua launches WaveRadar REX2
RS Aqua launched its next generation WaveRadar, the WaveRadar REX2. In been in development for several years, the WaveRadar REX2 is half the size and weight of the legacy REX, consuming 10 times less power while offering a 25% greater range and still maintaining its accuracy.The WaveRadar REX2 is powered by a new Emerson microwave sensor, using the same Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) measurement technique that has been used by the WaveRadar REX over the past 20 years. This new higher frequency sampling unit enables a greater measurement range of up to 80 m, and the same high accuracy over
Sonardyne Tests Autonomous Vehicles Navigation for UK MOD
Marine robotics company Sonardyne International Ltd. demonstrated technologies that will aid autonomous vehicle operations in challenging environments under a project funded by the UK’s national Defense and Security Accelerator (DASA).Working with a 12-meter-long SEA-KIT X class unmanned surface vehicle (USV), Sonardyne tested and validated sensors already used by unmanned underwater vehicles for use on USVs in support of missions in coastal watersSpecifically, Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav hybrid inertial navigation instrument was integrated into a SEA-KIT X and tested against local real-time
Near- or Below-normal Hurricane Season Predicted for Central Pacific
has four or five tropical cyclones.“This year we will likely see less activity in the Central Pacific region compared to more active seasons,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. “Less activity is predicted since ocean temperatures are likely to be near-average in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean where hurricanes form, and because El Nino is not present to increase the activity.”This outlook is a general guide to the overall seasonal tropical cyclone activity in the Central Pacific basin, and does not
One-on-One with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII
move under the HII banner the Hydroid brand is transitioning into Huntington Ingalls Industries. According to Fotheringham, “the REMUS and Seaglider brands will remain product lines within the organization. We will also continue to advance REMUS as part of our partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) through our technology transfer agreement.”Members of the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle detachment, Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.1, guides a UUV for recovery during a training exercise. CTG 56.1 provides mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, salvage diving
BAE Reflects One Year after Takeover of Riptide
One year ago, the FAST Labs R&D arm of BAE Systems announced the acquisition of Riptide Autonomous Solutions, with the goal to pair Riptide’s unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) with BAE's mission system capabilities in autonomy, navigation, communications, sensor processing and electronic warfare, among others. The Riptide family of UUVs includes three offerings: the 4.875” diameter (25 lbs.) micro, the 7.5" diameter (65 to 120 lbs.) 1MP (man-portable) unit and the 9" (9.375”) diameter (120 to 240 lbs.) 2MP. The family of unmanned vehicles are designed to
