KONGSBERG introduces new GeoPulse USV featuring state-of-the-art sub-bottom profiler
Southampton, UK, 9th April 2019 – Kongsberg Maritime has just launched the GeoPulse USV at Ocean Business 2019 in Southampton. A flexible new Unmanned Surface Vehicle featuring GeoPulse Compact, KONGSBERG’s newest cost-effective and lightweight sub-bottom profiler, GeoPulse USV can map environments beyond the limits of conventional platforms, fully autonomously or remote-controlled up to a range of 2km.
The GeoPulse USV’s electric motors provide six hours’ endurance at a survey speed of six knots, with a conveniently interchangeable battery pack. Its compact form factor and class-leading agility enables coverage of areas inaccessible by more conventional launches. With more than 100dB of noise-free dynamic range, the GeoPulse Compact provides repeatable, high-quality data without needing user-controlled analogue pre-processing.
GeoPulse Compact consumes only 11% of the power requirements of earlier GeoPulse systems, while still providing the same data quality and accuracy, and a data rate exceeding 100Mbps. Its adaptable digital processing and waveform selection technology (2-18Khz) ensures that the optimal power signature, pulse shape and configuration can be chosen to suit a broad range of specific survey tasks.
Combining frequency-modulated (Chirp), continuous wave (Pinger) and Ricker (Mexican hat) pulse forms, the GeoPulse Compact offers the best amalgam of penetration and resolution, with clearly-defined return of sediment layers. The system has a user-friendly operating method, controlled from a laptop using the supplied GP1000 software which is interfaced to the deck unit via an ethernet radio modem.
“We’ll be staging demonstrations of the GeoPulse USV on the water every day at Ocean Business,” says Dr Richard Dowdeswell, General Manager – Kongsberg GeoAcoustics Ltd, Kongsberg Maritime, “with focus on the flexibility, ease of operation, state-of-the-art functionality, frugal power usage, long mission duration and high-quality data that the solution provides.”
