Uncrewed Systems Technology 044 l Xer Technolgies X12 and X8 l Lidar sensors l Stan UGV l USVs insight l AUVSI Xponential 2022 l Cobra Aero A99H l Accession Class USV l Connectors I Oceanology International 2022

110 Report | Oceanology International 2022 pitch, roll and heading,” said Steve Boucher. “It can measure speed over ground, as well as apparent wind speed and the direction of a moving platform. Dynamic true wind speed is derived from the apparent wind speed, the speed of the vehicle, and vehicle heading. “It’s also fairly small and lightweight – just 300 g – which makes it easier to mount than some other weather stations out there.” The company also showcased its new 200m Mini Altimeter Kit. It is a derivation of Airmar’s range of existing transducer technology, and can be fitted to autonomous vessels for measuring height off the seafloor up to 200 m. The transducer is pressure rated to 1000 m. “The 200m Mini Altimeter Kit is an integrated altimeter with a 200 m range in a cylindrical package,” Steve Boucher added. “This integrated solution is targeted at USVs and smaller ROVs.” Lastly, the company discussed its dual-axis electromagnetic velocity log (EVL), the DX900+, which is designed as a smaller and more cost-effective alternative to Doppler-based systems. “Electromagnetic speed logs work by having an electromagnet in the centre of the sensor that projects an EM field into the water, and four pins around the sensor periphery in contact with the water,” Boucher said. “As water flows over the sensor, small voltages are induced, and by measuring the induced voltage between the fore and aft pins, and between the port and starboard pins, we can compute speed along both the x and y axes. “It’s accurate at both low and high speeds, and we’ve been able to manufacture our EVL at price points around 15-20% of comparable DVLs, and in small form factors too. “While DVLs can measure speed through the water at some known distance for the sensor, pulse Doppler technology is inherently much more expensive. But for applications where water velocity measurement at the sensor’s surface is acceptable, USV, ROV and AUV makers can save production costs by using an EVL instead.” Voyis was at the show to explain its developments and capabilities in specialised multi-sensor payloads for AUVs, beginning with its IVER4 Recon. “Our Recon payloads effectively take our camera and laser systems, and incorporate them with the right tube- shaped hull diameters and connectors to integrate with existing AUVs,” said Adam Riese. “We’re displaying the version we made for the IVER4 AUV from L3Harris, but we’ve also packaged the same technologies in different ways for the REMUS 100s, 300s and 600s now supplied by Huntington Ingalls Industries, and other AUVs from OceanScan.” The Recon payloads will typically use an EO camera for taking still colour photography and a laser line-scan for generating 3D point clouds in real time. Also, a high-intensity strobe light system will be installed to ensure colour imagery can be captured up to 10 m away. “We produce the 3D laser data on board the AUV in real time, which can be really useful for a range of purposes – for instance, pipeline tracking and following can be performed autonomously,” Riese noted. “Similarly, the images are saved in colour in real time, and they can be input to the main computer to perform object detection, classification, SLAM and other AI capabilities.” Voyis has also integrated sidescan sonars from companies such as Wavefront into its payloads for applications such as mine countermeasures, debris surveys around wind farms, and pipeline health inspections and analyses. Hexagon exhibited GNSS positioning and navigation solutions at the show, including OEM7700 and OEM7720 OEM GNSS receiver cards from Novatel, and LD8 and LD900 GNSS multi-constellation and multi-frequency receivers from Veripos. “The OEM7 series of cards are multi- constellation and -frequency, and can be used across diverse application areas including autonomous marine vessels,” said John Fleming. “These solutions also incorporate Novatel’s SPAN GNSS+INS technology, which has been refined over several years to provide a deeply coupled June/July 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Airmar’s new products for marine vehicle manufacturers and operators