US maritime technology company Saildrone has just upgraded its unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with a new sound sensor system, allowing them to detect and analyze deep-sea layers.
This technology is deployed through the Innomar Medium SBP seabed geological surveying device.
The SBP (Sub-Bottom Profiler) device has high resolution, creating full wave-form sound data to recreate the structure and composition of the seabed as well as the sedimentary layers below.
This system can operate at a depth of about 250 meters and penetrate up to 70 meters deep under the seabed, depending on the type of sediment.
New technology has been deployed on the Voyager USV rover in the Baltic Sea region.
The test mission aims to inspect undersea infrastructure and survey ocean depth conditions for the Organization for Procurement and Logistics under the Danish Ministry of Defense.
Thanks to this system, the Voyager can collect detailed images under the seabed, map sedimentary layers and determine geological structures.
These data are very important for continental shelf survey missions, marine geology research and the detection of undersea anomalies.
In addition, the technology also supports the navy and maritime organizations in searching for pipelines, submarine cables or artificial structures under the sedimentary layer.
In terms of design, Voyager is a 10-meter long unmanned vessel, designed to operate automatically for long periods of time at sea. This vehicle can operate continuously for many months without a crew.
Saildrone company said that the ship's special sail system helps increase operating range and endurance to harsh sea conditions.
In a recent operation, four Voyager ships operated continuously for 6 months in the Baltic Sea, reaching an operating rate of up to 92%.
The fleet's operations are coordinated from the Saildrone office in Copenhagen, providing widespread surveillance capabilities throughout Northern Europe.
According to Saildrone, the integration of underwater geological sensors will open up many new applications, from scientific surveys, protecting undersea infrastructure to maritime security tasks, in the context that sea areas are becoming increasingly strategically and economically important.
