Multibeam Echosounder Technology for Unmanned Surface Vehicles

R&D and manufacturer of multibeam echosounders Hydro-Tech has released case study looking at multibeam echosounders and unmanned surface vehicles (USV), discussing the development of underwater bathymetric technology, and the future of multibeam echosounder technology for USVs. 

In the article, “Evolving Multibeam Echosounders to Keep Up with Unmanned Surface Vehicle Developments”, Hydro-Tech introduces a small size, high accuracy, and low power consumption multibeam echosounder suitable for USVs, which could survey areas that manned hydrographic ships cannot reach. 

The application scenario Hydro-Tech focuses on is the blind area of conventional measurement equipment, where the water area cannot be reached by manned ships. For the unmanned measurement ship, a series of problems such as putting down or re-collecting the vehicle, boat draft vs water depth, and vehicle transportation must be solved. The miniaturization of USVs has become inevitable. 

If the miniaturized unmanned surveying vessel wants to solve the measurement problem in shallow waters, it must take advantage of its small size and light weight. As the current advanced technology of underwater surveying, the multibeam bathymetry system must solve the problem of unmanned surveying ships in shallow waters and shipless waters. Therefore, in order to adapt to the operation of such unmanned surveying ships, the multibeam bathymetry system must have advantages to be easier to use, such as a smaller size and lighter weight and calibration free installation.

With the development of unmanned ship technology, the development of multibeam technology, and people’s desire for big data, underwater detection will need to be more accurate. 

In the next ten years, there is expected to be a boom in the underwater era. Various unmanned platforms, surface and underwater, are equipped with various detection sonars for different projects. Hydro-Tech is imagining scenarios such as:

• Unmanned platform surveying made easier 
• One device for multi-function
• Big data analysis

Read the full article on Hydro-Tech’s website and find out more about the evolution of multibeam echosounders.