Page 33: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2025)

A BGILITY OOST

New navigation technology is supporting greater vehicle agility and advanced mission planning.

By Wendy Laursen xail has been experimenting with clouds of rubid- comes with an AI chip that enables users to include their ium atoms. Trapped and cooled they offer the po- own models to, for example, autonomously identify speci? c tential to boost the navigational accuracy of AUVs objects and then undertake a pre-set mission when they ? nd that are required twist and turn at speed in com- them. This functionality was recently used to obtain 4K geo-

E plex environments. The company’s new sensor, referenced imagery of a shipwreck in deep waters where such developed with LP2N, combines cold-atom technology with searches are typically cost prohibitive. Hydrus was able to re- ? ber-optic gyroscope technology, enabling navigation at high duce the surveying cost by up to 75% compared to a ROV rotation rates (up to 14o per second) and arbitrary orientations. operation, enabling the team to conduct more frequent and

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have also been extensive surveying of the wreck in a shorter time period. The working with rubidium atoms and have made signi? cant prog- compact design of the Hydrus, weighing around 7kg, elimi- ress in reducing sensor size, weight and power needs whilst nates the need for large vessels, complex launch systems and boosting accuracy. “By harnessing the principles of quantum professional dive teams. mechanics, these advanced sensors provide unparalleled accu- racy in measuring acceleration and angular velocity, enabling precise navigation even in GPS-denied areas,” says Sandia scientist Jongmin Lee.

These developments are still con? ned to the laboratory, but advances are also being made with conventional technology.

SBG Systems has developed a new tactical-grade low noise cluster-based inertial measurement unit that can provide accu- rate navigation to swarms of subsea drones in highly dynamic environments. The Pulse 40 IMU’s Micro Electro-Mechanical

Systems (MEMS) gyroscope and other sensors are designed to ensure precise heading for several hours following initial surface navigation with GNSS. MEMS technology can offer a lower cost and lower power alternative to ? ber optic gyro- scopes while still providing navigational information over six degrees of freedom.

Movella launched a new inertial sensor, Xsens Sirius, that delivers real-time 3D data for the precise navigation or sta- bilization of AUVs and ROVs. A key feature is its advanced signal pipeline with analog ? ltering, ensuring high vibration resistance for precise measurements even in the most extreme

The hybrid rotating atom interferometer in the vibration environments. It also supports high-? delity data experiment room of iXAtom joint lab, at the capture and georeferencing for subsea bathymetry.

Institut d’Optique d’Aquitaine, France.

The latest model of Advanced Navigation’s Hydrus AUV

Image credit: Exail, G. Lemaintec www.marinetechnologynews.com 33

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