UK’s testbed on the lookout for partners after spotlighting subsea range with multi-robot demo

June 19, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

The UK’s newest subsea trials site has made waves with a multi-robot demonstration, highlighting its potential to accelerate marine autonomy and ocean sensing. The Smart Sound Connect Subsurface (SSCS) project — part of Plymouth’s growing marine innovation hub — has showcased cutting-edge underwater testing infrastructure and is now inviting industry and research partners to join future trials.

The Smart Sound Connect Subsurface project, part of Smart Sound Plymouth, led by the University of Plymouth, with Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), saw platforms from ACUA Ocean, ecoSUB Robotics, Seaber, and Sonardyne working together above and below the surface, before the new subsea testbed designed to accelerate the UK’s marine autonomy and ocean sensing wrapped up its live, multi-marine surface and subsea robotic platform demonstration that emphasized its underwater testing capabilities.

Professor James Fishwick, Head of Innovation for Smart Sound Plymouth (at PML), commented: “Smart Sound Plymouth is going from strength to strength. The addition of the subsurface network enables even greater integration between platforms and supports our state-of-the-art testing capabilities for autonomous vehicles and advanced technologies.

“It complements the high-speed military-encrypted network above the surface and helps provide a fully connected environment. This successful technology demonstration further reflects Plymouth’s place as a world-leading hub for marine autonomy.”

The all-day collaborative demonstration enabled visitors from business, science, defence and national bodies to view the potential of the three-year, £1.2 million ($1.59 million) SSCS project, whose key element is the seabed node array, which provides absolute positioning and communications using passive ultra-short baseline (USBL) technology for testing underwater systems in a real-world highly characterised testing environment.

Iain Vincent, Director & General Manager at ecoSUB Robotics, stated: “Smart Sound and the SSCS environment has already been an extremely useful resource for ecoSUB Robotics. Most recently we have collaborated with Sonardyne on the development of a subsea AUV launch and navigation solution.

“Smart Sound provided the perfect place to test this technology, with easy access to open water, vessels and subsea nodes, and an outgoing and helpful community who support activity.”

Seaber Yuco and ecoSUB Robotics being deployed from Sonardyne’s Echo Explorer survey vessel in Smart Sound Plymouth; Courtesy of Sonardyne

Provided by Sonardyne, the SSCS’ infrastructure extends Smart Sound Plymouth and the Western Channel Observatory, through a seabed node array for absolute positioning and communications, alongside other intelligent sensors within a highly characterised environment. During the demonstration, both the University of Plymouth’s Seaber autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and an ecoSUB AUV navigated simultaneously using only the seabed node array.

Dr. Lilian Lieber, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth, underlined: “SSCS provides a unique opportunity to test new ocean observing technologies. For me, its value lies in turning prototypes and field-tested technologies into trusted data streams, accelerating ocean observing towards autonomous sensing and near-real-time insight.

“This helps turn ocean data into actionable intelligence for climate resilience, early warning and preparedness, while the infrastructure itself enables technology innovation and stronger industry collaboration.”

Pioneer uncrewed surface vessel (USV) from Plymouth-based ACUA Ocean tracked and controlled at the surface an AUV from Southampton-based ecoSUB using a Sonardyne Ranger 2 Gyro USBL positioning system on the USV, which wirelessly harvested data from a permanently deployed Sonardyne Origin 600 acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the SSCS that also transmits real-time data to shore, and a live internet feed as part of the Western Channel Observatory – via the long-running L4 oceanographic monitoring station.

Additionally, Marine AI showed the ability to continue navigating, even when GNSS drops out, using Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav, based on trials in the SSCS earlier this year. The demonstrations were viewed live by guests from the UK and overseas within PML’s onshore remote operations centre at its campus in Plymouth.

Geraint West, Business Development Advisor at Sonardyne, underscored: “This ability to test and accelerate marine autonomous system innovation in a known environment with the type of infrastructure we now have in the SSCS is a real boost not just for Plymouth.

“The demonstration had interest from around the UK and internationally, with visitors from North America and Asia and from a wide range of stakeholders, military, commercial, science and industry. It just shows the reputation Plymouth now has and continues to build for marine autonomy, thanks to the environment, ecosystem and collaboration we have in the city and in Plymouth Sound.”

From PML’s remote operations centre, visitors were able to view live feeds, showing tracking and data telemetry from the AUVs and Sonardyne’s Origin 600 ADCP to the Pioneer USV; Source: Sonardyne

As the Smart Sound Connect Subsurface project team is seeking additional research and development partners to collaborate in further trials of the SSCS testing environment, it encourages anyone interested in testing new subsea vehicle operations, underwater data telemetry, or any other use of the new infrastructure to contact Aaron Barrett, Lecturer in Autonomy at the University of Plymouth, regarding getting involved.

John Hunnibell, ACUA Ocean’s Chief Product Officer, said: “This demonstration provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the persistent mission utility and seagoing characteristics of our USV Pioneer as a ‘mothership’ for nested robotics, data harvesting and data transfer at sea.

“Specifically, we used this event to demonstrate that the USV Pioneer can deliver subsea monitoring and security for critical underwater infrastructure by teaming with multi-static seabed sensor nodes. It was also a great way to develop our relationships with capable, credible technical partners: Sonardyne, ecoSUB, PML and the University of Plymouth in Smart Sound Plymouth.”