Tritech’s Micron sonar has been selected for the latest academic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).
The acoustic design team at McGill Robotics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, chose to incorporate a mechanical scanning sonar into their new build AUV.
The team now plans to integrate the Micron sonar into their software system in order to assist close range positioning and detect objects in low visibility environments. The team has also updated their AUV with new thrusters and are carrying out modifications to the frame and the pressure vessels.
According to the company, the Tritech Micron sonar is the smallest digital CHIRP sonar in the world and is part of Tritech’s renowned SeaKing range of mechanical imaging sonars; The Tritech Micron sonar, with a 75m range capacity, offers exceptional clarity and resolution in miniature form, making it ideal for use by AUVs.
Jana Pavlasek , Acoustic Section Leader, McGill Robotics, comments: “We thank Tritech for their support, as well as the rest of our sponsors as with the collaboration of such companies our students can get hands-on experience with professional equipment. We have a lot of work to do to develop and test algorithms to accomplish our goals, but we are very excited to start testing with our new Micron sonar!”
Suzanne Menzies , Marketing Manager, Tritech, comments: “Tritech has supported several successful student AUV teams in the past and we are encouraged by such ventures as they are the next generation of engineers, therefore their insight along with ambition will be invaluable to the development of autonomous underwater robotics. We wish Jana and the AUV team at McGill Robotics all the best in their next competition.”
McGill Robotics hosts annual competitions where multidisciplinary teams of aspiring undergraduate students compete in various robotic challenges. McGill Robotics is split into 3 design teams. The AUV design team, a team of seventy-two competed in competitions such as the 2014 AUVSI RoboSub, and were successful in an award in recognition of their product brand.