Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ (KHI) has chosen a suite of subsea navigation, positioning and communications technologies from marine energy, defence and science company Sonardyne to navigate, track and control its first commercial SPICE autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
The SPICE (Subsea Precise Inspector with Close Eyes) AUV, complete with a submerged docking system and unique robotic arm for non-destructive testing, has been designed and built by KHI for intelligent and low-logistic pipeline and subsea asset inspection operations down to 3,000 m water depth.
To support accurate and long-duration navigation on its missions, while minimising complexity and payload space consumption, the vehicle is fitted with Sonardyne’s industry leading hybrid navigator SPRINT-Nav.
For underwater positioning and communications, the SPICE AUV is using Sonardyne’s AvTrak 6 – a combined transponder, modem and emergency relocator beacon all in one. KHI has also been using Sonardyne’s Mini-Ranger 2 Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL) system with a Robotics Pack to support tracking and communications during development and testing.
Two SPICE (Subsea Precise Inspector with Close Eyes) AUVs have already been ordered by UK-based subsea services company Modus Subsea Services for cable and pipeline inspections, as well as more conventional surveys. One is due to be delivered to Modus this year.
[blockquote author=” Noriyuki Okaya, Development & Design section, AUV Department Kobe Shipyard, at KHI.”]”Our goal with the SPICE AUV is to enable operational efficiency of inspection operations, to reduce cost and reduce the burden and risk experienced by crews working on support vessels offshore. We believe that Sonardyne’s instruments will support the highly accurate navigation of the SPICE AUV, supporting our goals”[/blockquote]
SPRINT-Nav combines Sonardyne’s SPRINT INS sensor, Syrinx 600 kHz DVL and a high accuracy intelligent pressure sensor into a single housing, making it one of the smallest combined inertial navigation instruments on the market. SPRINT-Nav’s tight integration of raw sensor data at a low level provides unprecedented navigational performance and precision for subsea vehicles, consistently outperforming competing systems in customer trials. The SPRINT-Nav 700, selected by KHI, is equipped with the highest performance available sensors, including Honeywell ring laser gyros and accelerometers.
Built for simple integration on AUV platforms, AvTrak 6 combines the functions of transponder, transceiver and telemetry link in one low power unit, leaving more payload space and power for other instruments. It enables AUVs to undertake simultaneous LBL ranging, USBL tracking via a surface vessel and robust telemetry for AUV to vessel and AUV-to-AUV communications.
Mini-Ranger 2 is ideal for use from smaller vessels, where survey-grade positioning performance is required. It can simultaneously track 10 targets at very fast update rates, is quick to install and has a standard operating range of 995 m, extendable to 4000 m. Sonardyne’s Marine Robotics software pack unlocks valuable additional capability when used with a compatible subsea vehicle mounted instrument such as AvTrak 6. This includes secure data exchange and remote control of multiple AUVs deployed in swarm scenarios.
Starting out with a new concept and building a highly capable survey-grade autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) could be a daunting task. How about targeting a launch date within two years?
Quincy, Massachusetts, based underwater robotics innovator Dive Technologies has done just that. Founded in 2018, Dive Technologies has now produced a vehicle that’s not only already operating commercially, through a robotics as a service (Raas) model, but it’s delivering a level of navigational accuracy not seen before in a commercial AUV, thanks to a key piece of Sonardyne technology.
The key to their success has been to forge strong partnerships with everything from control system developers and battery manufacturers to acoustic and inertial technology providers like ourselves. Working with industry partners has meant they’ve been able to leverage the highest performance, best in class commercial-off-the-shelf-systems (COTS) – we’re talking calibration-free out-of-the-box navigational accuracy of <0.01% of total distance travelled or better than 0.04% of distance from origin. More on that later.
A key part of the development has been to opt for high-performance COTS, such as SPRINT-Nav for navigation, allowing the company to focus on building certain customized systems in-house.
Big ambitions
If you’ve not heard of Dive Technologies, they’re a small company of 17 employees with a big ambition. They’ve developed a large displacement “DIVE-LD” AUV. Measuring 48 inches in diameter and 19 feet long, the DIVE-LD AUV is a commercial AUV that is designed to support pier-launched, multi-day missions. The vehicle architecture is very flexible and can house a full suite of survey sensors such as synthetic aperture sonar, multibeam sonar, sub bottom profiler and cameras. While the vehicle is designed for full ocean depth, down to 6,000 m, its size makes it a very stable shallow water data collection platform, well-suited for survey in coastal waters where surface effects can impact data quality.
Extensive sea trails of the vehicle started in 2020, to validate that it could deliver robot-as-a-service (RaaS) operations in 2021, and paid RaaS work started on schedule in early-April.
Dan Zatezalo, Technical Sales Manager Defense at Sonardyne Inc, reminds us: “We started working with Dive Technologies in 2019, and it’s been a great journey. From initial discussions around their performance requirements – the highest possible – to sea trials from August 2020 through to this March, it’s been an amazing journey.
Dive’s end goal is to solve the pain points of commercial survey operators with a low-logistics, pier launched, long-endurance AUV for littoral and deep-water survey and inspection operations. We’re talking about a platform that’s able to perform pre-construction and through life wind farm surveys, so no need for crewed survey vessels. To do that, extremely high navigational accuracy is needed.”
Ioseba Tena, Head of Defence at Sonardyne, picks up the story.
“Initially they approached us to look to integrate our acoustic solutions for tracking and communications, but, as we explored their requirements, it was obvious that their value proposition required extremely good positioning,” he says. “Large AUVs are fantastic because they can carry more batteries, which translates to longer endurance. But for the value of that additional coverage to be realized, the AUV needs to know where it is with an acceptable accuracy.”
“Initially we discussed what our SPRINT-Nav 300 hybrid navigation system could do in support of their mission, but as we explored their requirements, it became very clear that Dive’s requirement was really geared towards our SPRINT-Nav X.”
SPRINT-Nav X is the highest-grade SPRINT-Nav in our SPRINT-Nav family. SPRINT-Nav variants are available across a range of performance levels, all in the same AUV-friendly form factor, supporting Dive Technologies’ focus on mission adaptability. A SPRINT-Nav 500 was initially integrated into the DIVE-LD. When the higher performance SPRINT-Nav X was required, it was truly a simple swap out. It does not get easier to upgrade the navigation performance of an AUV.
Proving performance
The proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. Dive Technologies’ latest trials, in Buzzard’s Bay off the coast of Massachusetts and Narragansett Bay, off Rhode Island, more than met all of our expectations. The trials saw the complete vehicle system validated, including GPS, vehicle timing, vehicle controller and our SPRINT-Nav X.
The results were superb, with average real-time navigational accuracy of 0.02-0.03% of the distance from the origin straight out of the box. “To our knowledge, this is twice as accurate as our nearest commercial competitor,” Tim Raymond, Director of R&D at Dive, says. He explains: “Integration of the SPRINT-Nav X system into our existing DIVE-LD vehicle allowed us to achieve a level of navigational performance beyond what was previously thought to be industry standard. This testing was performed with a SPRINT-Nav X as it was delivered to us, with no in-situ calibration.
“After one day offshore with this unit, our navigational accuracy was demonstrated at <0.03% of vehicle distance from origin, on a 10 km straight-line mission to represent the worst case for navigation accuracy. No special in-water pre-mission alignment was required, allowing us to rapidly deploy the AUV and begin collecting data immediately.”
Achieving this level of navigation accuracy makes it possible for long-endurance AUVs to be suitable replacements for the large, crewed surface vessels that are utilized today, to conduct seabed and infrastructure surveys for customers in the energy market. – Dive Technologies.
Bill Lebo, Dive Technologies’ co-founder, says, “We recognize that there is a very high barrier to entry in the wind farm survey market as requirements are very difficult to meet. It’s a testament to our team and the commercial AUV we have brought to market that the navigational accuracy we’ve achieved will allow us to confidently collect data for seabed surveys and cable route surveys throughout the entire lifecycle of offshore wind farm construction. Our DIVE-LD AUVs will dramatically drive down data collection costs, get surveys off the critical path for wind farm development and offer a safe and clean alternative to augment the scarce vessel fleet.”
Dan says the relationship with Dive has been really rewarding, “One of the things we realized when we looked at the data is just how stable and operationally reliable the DIVE-LD platform is,” he says. “The Dive team has developed an impressive AUV, their expertise and know-how shines through the vehicle design and performance. The DIVE-LD stability, endurance and large flexible payload capacity in combination with our SPRINT-Nav X offers a very capable platform for a host of autonomous operations and applications. When we looked at the data, it was easy to see how far we travelled and how insignificant the error growth was. This means that you can make the most out of the DIVE-LD platform as it will be gathering meaningful data with meaningful positioning accuracy.”
https://www.sonardyne.com/complete-sonardyne-suite-for-dive-technologies-large-displacement-auv/
The world’s deepest diving acrylic hulled manned submersible is to be equipped with Sonardyne’s BlueComm optical communications link to allow live streaming of deep ocean expeditions anywhere in the world.
The Triton 7500/3 series submersible will operate from REV Ocean, one of the world’s most advanced research vessels, currently under construction for the Norwegian non-profit organisation of the same name.
BlueComm will allow the occupants of the Triton submersible to live stream high-definition video and audio to the surface, including to those onboard the vessel’s 35-person auditorium or even website and television audiences worldwide, to share first-hand in their experience.
The Triton 7500/3 is the only acrylic hulled submersible able to carry up to three people down to 2,286 m water depth. BlueComm will support its missions by transmitting data using high power light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are rapidly modulated.
Most underwater data transmission is done using acoustic signals, because of the ability of sound to travel long distances, measuring many kilometres, through water. But the bandwidth available using acoustics is not wide enough for high-definition video. By using light, BlueComm is able to stream up to 10 Mbps over up to 150 m.
During its missions, REV Ocean’s Triton submersible will work alongside a 6,000 m rated Kystdesign remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which will also be fitted with BlueComm. The Triton submersible will stream its video to the ROV, which will in turn feed the data up to the REV Ocean research vessel via a cable.
REV Ocean’s Triton 7500/3 is being built by Triton Submarines, builders of the first fully accredited (DNV/GL) submersible capable of diving to full ocean depth. The Triton’s unique pressure hull is being made of acrylic, which is over 300 mm (1 foot) thick, and offers passengers a 360 degree and unobstructed view of the ocean during dives of up to 12 hours in duration. The design uses certified, aircraft-grade materials, Lithium-ion battery technology as well as pressure-balanced and oil-filled sub-systems to achieve its remarkable depth capabilities.
This is the latest application of BlueComm onboard a Triton submersible. In 2019, the Nekton Foundation used BlueComm to conduct the world’s first live streaming to global audiences from a submersible during their First Descent expedition in the Indian Ocean. This was quickly followed by the world’s first presidential address from a manned submersible, on the same mission. Both milestones were undertaken using a Triton 1000/2.
“Triton is delighted to be working with the talented and resourceful team at Sonardyne again,” says Patrick Lahey, Triton Submarines’ President. “The Sonardyne BlueComm system is an example of a transformative technology, which dramatically enhances the effectiveness and utility of our entire range of human occupied vehicles. Project REV is a very ambitious ocean exploration project aimed at furthering our knowledge and understanding of the ocean and the Sonardyne BlueComm system is a critical part of capturing the essence of what it is like to be on a dive in human occupied vehicle with remarkable accuracy and quality. The content made possible by the BlueComm system will dramatically enhance the viewing experience for the audience by making it both more powerful and compelling.”
“Through-water communication using BlueComm not only provides a reliable alternative to using cables underwater, which can be expensive to install and vulnerable to damage, for projects like this, it also provides the freedom for scientific vehicles and their occupants to explore the deepest seas and oceans yet still be connected with the surface,” says Geraint West, Global Business Manager, Oceanographic, at Sonardyne. “Nekton’s First Descent Mission in 2019 illustrated BlueComm’s unique ability to bring ocean conservation directly into peoples’ homes, furthering education and understanding. We’re delighted that BlueComm will now play an integral part in supporting the REV Ocean team during their future science cruises.”
Alex Rogers, the Science Director of REV Ocean said “BlueComm is a revolutionary technology enabling live transmission of submersible dives to audiences around the world. It can truly convey the excitement of ocean exploration as demonstrated last year in the Indian ocean by the Nekton Foundation. For REV Ocean it is a great asset for ocean literacy, educating civil society and policy makers about the beauty and value of the deep ocean but also about threats such as plastic pollution, ghost nets and disruption from the changing climate. It also enables scientists on our mothership or even back on land to remotely participate in dives even though they are not physically present.”
Coronavirus might have put a major limit on many global travel plans over the last year, but it’s not abated a hunger for larger and expedition style superyachts, adventure and travel to more remote locations.
The desire for large and explorer class superyachts is a trend that has been growing for some time. Today there are well over 30 superyachts exceeding the 115m mark and more are in-build, some of which have been specifically designed for research and exploration.
The drivers are clear. There’s a new breed of adventurous superyacht owner that wants to go off the beaten track. They want vessels that can be self-sufficient for longer, providing the ultimate platform for exploration in remote areas. But being more adventurous means more risk. With the right technology, it’s risk that can be removed.
De-risking expeditions with forward looking sonar
Security and safety is an area in which UK-based marine security specialist MarineGuard Systems is increasingly involved. The company usually helps owners of superyachts, typically those in the 100 m and above range, to install and integrate complex security systems – creating a virtual bubble around a yacht, with outer and inner perimeters, that’s able to recognise and communicate changes in the security environment.
Sonardyne has a longstanding relationship with MarineGuard and for a number of years we’ve been working together to supply systems that look after the underwater part of that perimeter – introducing a whole new dimension to maritime security systems. That’s usually by deploying our Sentinel Intruder Detection Sonar (IDS). Sentinel alerts vessel managers or owners to any underwater threats, such as approaching divers or even autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
Underwater CCTV for navigating unknown waters
But while Sentinel protects superyachts from intruders, what about protecting these prized assets from hidden threats while they’re cruising or navigating new or uncharted waters?
The growth in expedition style yachts and a hunger to explore off the beaten track has meant MarineGuard is increasingly being asked to install forward looking sonars (FLS) on to superyachts as an essential navigational aid. They’re a powerful tool that visualise the seabed beneath and ahead of the vessel in 3D, highlighting via live, clear 3D graphics the bathymetry, including uncharted reefs, wrecks, sand bars and more, so that ship captains have ample time to change course. They can also pick out objects in the water column, which may otherwise be unseen.
However, in the past, it’s been a challenge to install some FLS systems. MarineGuard has completed a number of FLS installations for superyachts around the world. But because of their size, the most capable systems have been limited to only the very largest superyachts.
Forewarned is forearmed with Vigilant FLS
Not any more. We recognised this challenge and the result is Vigilant, a new FLS. It’s an impressive tool. It builds crystal clear, easy to interpret live 3D imagery of the seabed, down to 100 m water depth and out to 600 m ahead, constantly. Vigilant’s graphics show the seabed in stunning clear detail ahead. It’s so clear you can pick out a narrow channel or an anchorage. You can also look at where you’ve been, to pick a return course.
Vigilant also automatically detects submerged objects ahead of your vessel, out to 1,500 m. We’ve had one user already tell us it’s picked up even a channel marker at 1,100m range. This is a significant safety feature when in busy waterways or even out in open waters. These are hard to match capabilities and they’re all available through a new, simple to use touchscreen GUI or third-party ECDIS systems.
But, crucially, it’s 90% lighter and much smaller than our previous generation FLS. We recognised that size was an issue, so we re-designed the sonar head so that is it now 31cm wide – that’s small enough for use on uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and even the diver delivery units (DDUs) commonly used by Navy SEAL teams to covertly access hard to reach underwater areas. In fact, it’s being integrated into UK firm SubSea Craft’s VICTA DDU!
So how does it work?
The sonar works by transmitting acoustic energy into the water, through a 90-degree azimuth, and listening for the echoes, which it then uses to build up a picture of what’s in the water, all of which is underpinned by advanced signalling techniques and data processing. It’s a process that’s even more complex than multi-beam echo sounders, which use a fan of beams to map the water column and seabed topography, because instead of looking directly beneath the ship, the fundamental operational requirement of an FLS means delivering the same type of information many hundreds of metres ahead of the ship, often in shallow water. We need to ‘forward look’ and still provide navigationally relevant terrain and object detection data. That’s not easy.
Easier to install
MarineGuard is already supporting the installation of Vigilant systems and say it’s already noticeable how much easier it is to install, thanks to the reduced size and weight. It means that it’s not just the largest superyachts that can now benefit from the most capable FLS systems in the market. Smaller vessels can now also benefit from knowing exactly what lies beneath the waterline, below and ahead, as they set a course for their next adventure into new and even uncharted territories.
In today’s travel restricted world, that even helps to ease logistics prior to mobilising for that next expedition trip off the beaten track.