Posted on August 3, 2017
At WEDA’s 2017 Dredging Summit held in Vancouver in June, Seafloor Systems introduced their latest EchoBoat unmanned surface vessel (USV) with fully integrated PicoMB Multibeam system.
Seafloor Systems specializes in providing customized sonar solutions for the hydrographic, dredging, and research communities. It provides complete, integrated, turnkey multibeam systems scaled to meet individual performance requirements and budget limitations. Seafloor offers best in class, proven solutions.
Seafloor also manufactures the EchoBoat line of unmanned surface vessels. EchoBoat is Seafloor System’s versatile 1.8m monohull remotely operated, autonomous survey platform which can be fitted with Seafloor’s AutoNav option. It has proven to be the most flexible, versatile, and cost-effective platform of its kind to perform single beam, multibeam, sidescan, ADCP, and other surveys in very shallow water and in remote areas where it is difficult to launch conventional survey boats.
Seafloor Systems’ new PicoMB is a low-cost miniature CHIRP FM multibeam echo sunder (MBES) customized to fit inside the transducer well of the EchoBoat. PicoMB features rugged, fully encapsulated transducers and very compact IP67 rated deck unit, with optional integrated IMU. All beamforming and digital signal processing are performed within the sonar allowing a direct connection from the sonar to a computer via Ethernet or Android smartphone/tablet via WiFi.
The PicoMB interfaces directly with the EchoBoat’s onboard industrial PC. From a shore laptop using a Remote Desktop connection, the user accesses the onboard PC via a WiFi bridge to control the sonar settings, survey line planning, data logging as well as the EchoBoat’s AutoNav autonomous mission planner.
Josh Grava, vice-president of sales for Seafloor Systems, stated “The purpose of these vehicles is to bring survey capabilities to shallow or difficult to access locations, or where there is a need to remove humans from danger, or if routine survey progress checks can be tackled with less operational expense. For the Dredge community, the EchoBoat could be released daily from a davit on small dredges in calmer waters, to perform progress checks autonomously, with a single operator, eliminating the need and expense for a dedicated survey vessel. The dredge can carry its own deployable survey vessel along with it.”
Seafloor Systems is a customer-driven corporation, led by veteran U.S. Navy Hydrographer, John Tamplin. Seafloor Systems offers a full spectrum of hydrographic survey equipment through integration, support, and training. Specializing in the geophysical sector for survey companies worldwide, Seafloor Systems has built the largest rental pool of multibeam echosounder equipment in the U.S.
Source: Seafloor
