Unmanned Systems Technology 026 I Tecdron TC800-FF I Propellers I USVs I AUVSI 2019 part 1 I Robby Moto UAVE I Singular Aircraft FlyOx I Teledyne SeaRaptor I Simulation & Testing I Ocean Business 2019 report

46 Insight | USVs this USV really for coastal, infrastructure inspections – inshore pipeline surveys, habitat mapping and inspections of bridges, piers and under rigs – and the Lidar gives a 360 º view of data points,” Douglass explains. “To power all these sensors, we use a lithium-ion battery that we’ve had customised for this vessel and mission profile. COTS power solutions are never going to be optimal for an unmanned system like this, with its own mission, power requirements and performance profiles. So we specified a particular discharge rate, weight, form factor, chemistry and other specifications we wanted to package the M1.8 around, and the battery supplier made it for us.” In another offshore autonomy development, TASA, the largest fishing company in Peru, has ordered one of Kongsberg Maritime’s new Sounder USVs to provide surveying and research capabilities for the company’s fisheries. The 8 m-long craft comes with a Simrad SX90 ‘fish-finding’ sonar that operates over a 20-30 kHz band using an FM signal with filters for enhancing fish school detection, definition and tracking at a range of up to 8 km. A 125 hp Steyr diesel engine gives the craft a top speed of 12 knots, with an operating speed of 4 knots, at which the USV can operate for up to 20 days, while communicating data back to the operator over a maritime broadband radio link or Iridium satellite connection. Marina and harbour inspections GPA Seabots has designed a USV that measures about 95 x 65 x 31 cm, to provide inspections and survey around marinas and harbours that are congested with boat traffic. The SB100 was developed particularly for industries needing a one-man portable survey and measurement tool that could be transported and deployed at a moment’s notice. As a result, the craft weighs only 12 kg. “This compact craft has its instrumentation integrated to obtain data in marinas, canals, swamps, lagoons and sheltered waters,” says Pau Sarsanedas, founder and CEO of GPA Innova, the parent company of GPA Seabots. “For example, a harbour master might urgently need to measure the depth of the mouth of a harbour, so they can’t wait for a manned survey boat or team of divers. “We’re based in Barcelona, and the law there says you need at least five divers and a great deal of costly equipment for safety. Alternatively, a single person can quickly deploy the SB100 and control its operations and sensors from its rugged GCS.” Typical sensors include a 450 kHz single-beam sonar with a 100 m range integrated on the front of the craft between the two pontoons, a side- scan sonar for seabed mapping, an FPV camera for visual inspection and real-time control, and a 360° fisheye lens camera that records the vehicle’s surroundings during surveys. “The panoramic camera means you don’t lose any detail of what’s happening around the SB100 as you survey. When you’re back in your office, you can review that footage and see if there was anything affecting the vessel or the water above the surface that might inform how you analyse your survey data,” Sarsanedas says. “That data is also delivered to the GCS in real time, so the user sees the sonar imagery as the operation proceeds. And the programmable autopilot allows them to map out the survey path, so they can concentrate on the image feed, with the real-time FPV-based manual control being available if they see something that merits deviating from the planned route for closer inspection.” The SB100 typically comes with real- time kinematic GNSS integrated, so that waypoints accurate to 1 cm can be plotted. That enables automated inspection paths to be very close to moored boats, jetties and other objects, and it has a multi-constellation satellite capability to keep a constant position fix. Operations are carried out at a cruising speed of between 3.6 and 5.4 kph, with a top speed of 9.36 kph. Propulsion comes from a pair of 135 W Blue Robotics thrusters behind each pontoon that provide 5 kg of thrust and full 360° rotation in the z axis. The thrusters and sensors are powered by a 14.8 V, 20 Ah battery pack as well as PV cells integrated atop the pontoons. June/July 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology The SB100 from GPA Seabots is less than a metre long, and is designed to be easily portable and deployable in harbours and marinas at short notice