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In an important stride forward for autonomous underwater exploration, UTEC, a geo-services company under Acteon's Data and Robotics division, carried out a day of 'Gavia' Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) trials off Fremantle, Western Australia.
The AUV has recently undergone significant adaptations, including the addition of new modules that include the subsea ultra-short baseline (USBL), which aids the vehicle's inertial navigation system (INS) placement. This enables greater inside navigation and enhanced operational capability of 12 hours as well as the use of the full 1,000-meter depth rating.
The trial comprised evaluating the reconfiguration of the AUV and providing further instruction to the local crew, with assistance from UTEC's AUV specialists in the UK.
"The day resulted in several milestones for UTEC in terms of AUV operations, with these officially being the deepest dives that we have completed with the Gavia," stated Paul Barry, UTEC's Country Manager in Australia.
"This was also the first time the AUV had been positioned with USBL assistance. We look forward to aiding more clients with their deepwater survey and positioning needs."
Notable advancements comprised the addition of INS/Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) modules, strengthened battery modules to increase mission duration and code USBL modules. In addition, the AUV was supplied with a new eight-megapixel camera, which increased the quality of visual data acquired during missions, furthermore, Modifications to the control modules include depth and sound velocity (SV) sensor calibration, as well as firmware improvements.
Watch the video and press release here- https://acteon.com/news/utec-trials-auv-upgrades-offshore-australia/
