Posted by Greg Trauthwein March 15, 2016

Kraken Wins WHOI Contract

Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. won a $465,000 contract by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Kraken has been contracted to deliver a deep-sea rated AquaPix Miniature Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar, a Real Time Embedded SAS Signal Processor and related engineering services. Delivery of the system is planned for July 2016.

“We’re delighted to broaden our relationship with WHOI. AUV’s are the ultimate choice of instrument platform for deep sea and remote surveys, and our high resolution Synthetic Aperture Sonar will add significant value to this project," said Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President and CEO. "Placing survey sensors such as Kraken’s AquaPix MINSAS onboard an AUV means that measurements take place close to the seafloor, dramatically improving data resolution and accuracy. This is another validation of our technology by a leading engineering research institution.”

Scientific exploration of the deep sea has traditionally been performed using inhabited submersibles, towed vehicles and tethered Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) have begun to replace these vehicles for mapping and survey missions. AUVs are particularly well suited to advanced sonar surveys in rugged deep sea terrain. AUVs complement the capabilities of existing systems, offering superior mapping capabilities, improved logistics and better utilization of the surface support vessel. In comparison to towed systems, the tight turning circle provided by AUVs significantly reduces the time to change between survey lines. Compared to an ROV, the AUV operates without an umbilical tether and is able to move faster and more quietly, collecting data with a very high signal-to-noise ratio.