Seaeye Sabertooth AUV Shows 4D Capabilities

For offshore operators, a 4D geo-spatial data acquisition system with data visualisation in real-time is now available for the Seaeye Sabertooth AUV. 

Its full capabilities were demonstrated to representatives of twelve companies from seven countries, together with the Danish Navy, in Saab’s underwater test centre at Lake Vättern, Sweden, the company informed.

The system has been configured for the Sabertooth by Saab QPS, a Saab Seaeye partner and a developer of hydrographic survey and mapping software.

The development unifies the QINSy and Fledermaus systems developed by Saab QPS into a single enhanced option for the Sabertooth.

For the demonstration the Sabertooth was equipped with a sensor suite including side scan sonar, sub bottom profilers, high frequency imaging sonar, multibeam echo sounder and cameras, along with GPS, DVL and inertial measurement unit (IMU) supporting the navigation. Processing of the trajectory data was achieved with an algorithm developed by Saab Dynamics.

One demonstration included an extended autonomous survey mission performed to show the extent of the navigation accuracy and trajectory performance, as well as the quality of the high-resolution sonar images captured.

Another involved a range of autonomous missions in the lake including seabed survey, structure inspection, obstacle avoidance and a docking manoeuvre into an underwater docking station. A fibre link was used to allow live viewing of the data being gathered.

Visitors had an opportunity to examine the Sabertooth AUV.

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