C-Worker 4 is a robust and capable Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) ideally suited to inshore and coastal survey work.
With a small draught and a waterjet propulsion system, C-Worker 4 can operate in shallow and constrained waters often inaccessible to standard survey vessels.
The vehicle has a sea chest containing a remotely actuated ram used for mounting and lowering subsea
sensors below the waterline.
A 10U 19” rack unit is fitted inside a watertight forward compartment for the housing of sensor control
equipment.
| Length | 4.2m |
| Beam | 1.6m |
| Height | 2.7m (including antennas) |
| Draught | 0.6m (not including payload) |
| Weight | 1,030kg fully fuelled (not including payload) |
| Construction | Aluminium hull and deck, GRP top sections |
| Sea State | Operations in up to and including sea state 4. Survivability in up to and including sea state 5 |
| Speed Range | 6 knots maximum speed, 3.5 knots cruising speed |
| Endurance | Up to 48hrs at cruising speed |
| Launch and Recovery | Single-point lift solution optimised for raised platforms UK road legal trailer for slipway launch |
| Navigation Aids | Halo 20+ radar, GNSS compass (primary), Solid-state compass (secondary), Speed/depth/temperature sensor, Class B AIS transponder, Port and starboard navigation lights, all-round white light, Horn |
| Cameras | 360-degree camera box featuring four daylight cameras (forward/aft/port/ starboard) and one forward-facing thermal (IR) camera |
| Propulsion | 30hp inboard diesel engine driving a waterjet |
| Fuel Capacity | 110 litres (diesel) |
| Standard vehicle control | Mission planning (lines, waypoints, station keeping, geofencing) Direct remote control via a hand-held control unit |
| Optional vehicle control | Autonomous route planning with collision avoidance system |
| Primary Communications Link | 5W COFDM IP mesh radio, Tuneable RF channel bandwidths of 1.25 MHz to 10 MHz ~5km range with remote station antenna height of 3.5m. Range can be increased with remote station antenna height >3.5m |
| Alternate Communications | 4G LTE cellular data connection, Wi-Fi |
| Electrical power (DC) | 1x 24V DC house battery bank, 1x 12V DC engine start battery, External shore power connector for shore supply charging |
| Electrical Power (AC) | 230V AC via a 1,000W 50Hz inverter/charger |
| Payload Capacity | ~40kg wetside payload capacity (MBES, ADCP, SBP, CTD etc.). Payload sensors mounted on an Underwater Retractable Mast (URM). Payload control equipment is located on-board in a 10U 19” rack unit, housed in a watertight compartment. |
C-Worker 4 is a rugged and proven platform with several vehicles having been deployed in a variety of operations all over the world. The vehicle can be fitted with a wide range of sensors and is ideally suited to applications such as hydrographic survey, port and harbour surveillance, and environmental monitoring.
C-Worker 4 is quick and easy to mobilise via a single point lift system, enabling the vehicle to be launched and recovered from a support ship or dockside. Alternatively, C-Worker 4 is supplied as standard with a UK-legal road trailer enabling deployment via a slipway.
C-Worker 4 is operated using the ASView control system, which enables pre-programmed missions to be set up, executed and monitored via a graphical user interface. Control modes include waypoint and line following, heading and track hold, station keeping and geofencing. The vehicle can also be operated using a bespoke hand-held remote control unit.
ASView features standard S57 navigational charts with the ability to import files such as geotiff and .dxf survey lines. Situational awareness is provided by a 360-degree camera box on the vehicle’s mast featuring four daylight cameras and one forward-facing thermal (IR) camera. Live video feeds are transmitted to the remote station in real time.
C-Worker 4’s operational safety is enhanced by a SIL1-assured emergency stop system, and a supervision timeout feature that enables the vehicle to perform pre-programmed actions/missions following a loss of communications.
The vehicle’s remote station control equipment is hand-portable and has a small form-factor enabling quick and easy set up to provide a control centre shore-side or on-board a support vessel.
Optional additions to the standard C-Worker 4 package include a remotely deployable winch, a COLREG-aware route-planning collision avoidance system, and the provision of tailored operator and maintainer training programmes. L3Harris can also provide bespoke solutions for ongoing technical support and vehicle maintenance.
Package includes- C-Worker 4 with 5W COFDM IP mesh radio, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi communication links
- UK road legal trailer
- Hand-portable remote station equipment including ASView-Base station, AS-View-Helm remote control unit, ASView-Bridge laptop with user Interface, antennas and associated cables.
- Advanced autonomy with path-planning collision avoidance system
- Payload winch to 100m depth with a 5kg payload (e.g. sound velocity profiler).
- Tailored operator and maintainer training courses.
