MTR 100: Teledyne Marine Systems Group

Posted by Irina Tabakina

Insights from Thomas W. Altshuler, Ph.D., VP and Group GM, Teledyne Marine Systems
 

Please provide an overview of the companies in your group, citing examples of group collaboration.
    The Teledyne Marine Systems Group consists of Teledyne Benthos, Teledyne Gavia, and Teledyne Webb Research. The group focuses on the development, production, and support of underwater vehicles and tow-bodies, acoustic communication and positioning, and sound sources and infrastructure to support subsea data collection.
The three companies that make up the Marine Systems Group work in concert to provide integrated systems. We work closely with our sister Teledyne Marine companies to make available to the market unique system solutions. Recent collaborations include the integration of both Teledyne RDI Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and Teledyne Benthos acoustic modems onto the Teledyne Webb Research Slocum Glider and the development and production of a deep-towed sonar platform that includes both Teledyne RESON multibeam echosounders and Teledyne RDI Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs).
What is your group’s most exciting technology advancement since MTR 100 2013?
    Over the last year, the Teledyne Marine Systems Group has continued to invest heavily on new technology and product development. We have released the first member our newest generation of acoustic releases, the R12K, that provides enhanced information about release status and increases overall ease of use. We have developed our Slocum Oil & Gas Glider that has sensor suites available specifically targeting the needs of the Oil and Gas community. After successful field testing, we have introduced our deepest profiling float, the 6000 meter APEX Deep that is able to provide conductivity, temperature and depth data for more than 150 profiles at an average cost of about $500 per profile.

What market trends are fueling your group?
    Over the last 12 months, we have seen a continued acceleration of the uses of underwater gliders in defense, oceanographic, and the Oil & Gas markets. This growth is fueled by the continued improvements of the vehicles and the integration of new sensor technology. We have also seen a strong growth in the use of AUVs in the Oil & Gas survey market and a drive for deeper operations.
 

Teledyne Benthos
Located in North Falmouth, Massachusetts, Teledyne Benthos is an industry leader with a history of over 50 years of innovation in marine technology. Benthos designs and manufactures rugged, reliable oceanographic instrumentation and infrastructure for marine environments. Teledyne Benthos products include: acoustic releases, acoustic telemetry modems, positioning systems, hydrophones, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), glass flotation spheres and instrument housings, and locating devices. These tools provide the building blocks of ocean observing systems for diverse users. Benthos technologies provide access to the deepest ocean depths.
www.benthos.com

Teledyne Webb Research
Joining Benthos in a dramatically expanded North Falmouth facility in later 2013, Teledyne Webb Research has been serving oceanographic research, commercial, and government customers for over 30 years. Webb Research designs and manufactures scientific instruments for oceanographic research and monitoring with a focus on extended observations over both time and space. Teledyne Webb Research specializes in three areas of ocean instrumentation: Neutrally buoyant, autonomous drifters and profilers, autonomous underwater gliding vehicles, and moored underwater sound sources. These systems are core to several major ocean monitoring programs including the international Argo array, the National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative and the US Navy Littoral Battlespace Sensing – Glider (LBS-G) program of record. A Webb Research slocum glider was the first unmanned vehicle to cross an ocean.
www.webbresearch.com
 

Teledyne Gavia
Located in Kopavogur, Iceland, Teledyne Gavia provides turnkey survey solutions to customers undertaking a variety of tasks for defense, commercial and scientific applications. The Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) can carry an array of sensors and custom payload modules that make it suited for any research, monitoring or surveillance task where autonomy, cost and ease of deployment matters. Its modular design allows for rapid sensor reconfiguration and battery replacement. While compact and “low logistics” the Gavia is also extremely capable, rated to 1000m and proven with a variety of sensor systems. As an Icelandic technology and compatible with sensors from other international sources the Gavia AUV is widely exportable and the chosen low logistics AUV of commercial survey firms.
www.teledynegavia.com
 

(As published in the July/Aug 2014 edition of Marine Technology Reporter - http://www.marinetechnologynews.com/Magazine)

Marine Technology Magazine, page 36, Jul 2014

Read MTR 100: Teledyne Marine Systems Group in Pdf, Flash or Html5 edition of July 2014 Marine Technology

Other stories from July 2014 issue

Content

Marine Technology

Marine Technology Reporter is the world's largest audited subsea industry publication serving the offshore energy, subsea defense and scientific communities.