Sonardyne has introduced a new top-of-the-range model in its SPRINT-Nav Mini family of navigation solutions for UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) and USVs (unmanned surface vehicles). The new Navigator version extends the capability of the existing Guidance model by calculating and providing the position of remote or autonomous vehicles, in addition to velocity, depth and attitude.
The low-SWaP (size, weight and power) SPRINT-Nav Mini is engineered to provide accurate, precise and robust guidance for platforms that would normally not be able to host high-end navigation systems, such as observation-class ROVs, low-logistic AUVs, and USVs operating in shallow waters. With field-proven technology from Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav product line, the Mini family combines an INS, AHRS, pressure sensor and 500 kHz DVL in a single subsea housing that is just 215 mm high, 149 mm in diameter and weighs as little as 0.7 kg in water.
SPRINT-Nav Mini can operate even in highly challenging environments, such as around surface structures and GNSS-denied environments, providing a continuous stream of latitude and longitudes, orientation, velocities, depth and altitude at up to 200 updates per second to a vehicle’s primary control system. Available in 300-metre and 4,000-metre depth options, with a maximum DVL altitude of up to 200 m, all SPRINT-Navs are supplied pre-calibrated from the factory, enabling users to install units and get to work easily and quickly. Existing owners of SPRINT-Nav Minis can upgrade their Guidance units to the new Navigator version, remotely in the field.
Aidan Thorn, Business Development Manager for Marine Robotics at Sonardyne, commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for developers and operators of small ROVs, AUVs and USVs with transformational technologies like our SPRINT-Nav Mini Navigator being a true enabler for safer, more efficient and cleaner operations across the maritime space. The technology platform is low-risk and field-proven. This new flagship model will enable vehicle manufacturers and operators to enjoy all the benefits of Doppler inertial navigation from a single instrument. What I like is the simplicity, one unit that’s simple to integrate and easy to operate, leaving more space and power for other data collection payloads. And that ultimately means more capable vehicles for the user.”
