SeaRobotics USV

USV 2.5, The Smallest USV from SeaRobotics

The USV 2.5 is a 2.5 meter long Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) that offers a broad range instrumentation, with the flexibility to swap sensing payloads based on the demands of the mission. The USV 2.5 has been delivered to the Center for Marine Science and Technology at North Carolina State University.

Fully Equipped for Bathymetry

The USV integrates:

• an Edgetech 6205 SwathBathymetric and Simultaneous Dual Frequency Side Scan Sonar System,
  a sound velocity probe,
• the highly flexible inertial navigation system Ekinox-E from SBG Systems connected to a dual antenna RTK GPS from Hemisphere,
  and HYPACK software.

Given the diverse capabilities of the USV, it will be utilized as both an experiential-based teaching tool and to conduct basic and applied research in lake, river, estuary, and costal environments. “The USV will be used for seabed and water column mapping critical to an improved understanding of various marine and aquatic processes, including ecosystems dynamics, water quality, and shoreline stability,” stated Del Bohnenstiehl, principal investigator on the project.

The Ekinox-E inertial navigation system from SBG was an easy choice for the USV 2.5,” stated Geof Douglass, Development Manager at SeaRobotics. “When compared to competing products with similar resolution, the Ekinox is much simpler to integrate because of its compact form factor. On small unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) available payload (weight, footprint, power, I/O) is the most precious asset. The Ekinox-E allows us to streamline system integration while still providing customers the ability to acquire and process high resolution bathymetry”, added Geof.