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52 T he worlds of oceanological survey and subsea industries have exhibited a surge in recent times in what they demand of unmanned systems. USVs and UUVs are required to navigate more intelligently and to endure greater mission lengths than ever, while collecting more survey data and at higher resolutions. To that end, although Oceanology International 2020 has been postponed until December this year, a lot of new marine technologies have already been unveiled to the public, which we are previewing here. Oceanalpha’s newest unmanned vehicle is the M40P, a USV designed for long-endurance missions and multi- functional capability. The craft has been developed with 80 kg of mission payload capacity, to allow a range of survey modes and other functions. Its initial applications include observing geomagnetic events and variations, multi-beam sonar mapping of the seafloor, hydrographic surveys and exploring underwater constructions. The M40P measures 5 m long, and is designed with an automatic repositioning system and a low power-consumption mode for lengthy operations. Although its nominal endurance is 48 hours, its powertrain can incorporate a diesel generator as a range extender, to recharge the battery and increase the USV’s endurance to up to an anticipated 240 hours, depending on the quantity of fuel carried. With demand rising for long- endurance UUVs, and with autonomy in their power supplies as well as their navigation systems, SubCtech has developed its largest AUV battery product yet, the AUV PowerPack 416. So designated for its 416 mm cylindrical diameter (manufactured to match the shape used by most AUV hull designs), the lithium-ion battery pack is made from SubCtech’s modular SmartPowerBlocks. These strings of battery modules use the company’s internal power and BMS bus interface (with the master BMS installed on the top for easy access). Vehicles using the AUV PowerPack 416 can nominally carry between 7 and 300 kWh, although more energy is available on request. For inspections, analytics and maintenance, the battery can be designed with a user interface to Modbus, NMEA-0183, RS-232, or CAN bus. It can also be designed to supply power at specific DC voltages of up to 400 V (and a maximum power of 30 kW), with each SmartPowerBlock offering up to 58 V and weighing up to 30 kg. Also, the packs are manufactured into titanium pressure housings, which can be rated to depths down to 6000 m. Type certifications for the overall system include Mil-Std 810G for shock and vibration, and Mil-Std 461F for EMC. Moving this unmanned marine technology show to later in the year – for obvious reasons – hasn’t stopped Rory Jackson from providing this preview Set to make a splash April/May 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology Oceanalpha’s M40P is a new USV measuring 5 m in length that is capable of integrating 80 kg of payload equipment for missions lasting 48 hours or potentially longer