Hydromea launches the most advanced wireless underwater optical modem

Swiss-based autonomous underwater robotics solutions company Hydromea is launching its new patent-pending subsea wireless communication modem LUMA X.

The LUMA X can beam data using light at up to 10 Mbit/s with a 120 degree cone.

With that, the LUMA X enables real-time streaming of HD-quality video and 4K images wirelessly through water.

This allows the operators of autonomous underwater vehicles to monitor its interventions from control rooms onshore.

Felix Schill, co-founder and CTO of Hydromea, said: “LUMA X is a big step forward in providing unlimited data access to the subsea environment with a lot of versatility built in. The wide-angle beam gives subsea vehicles connecting via the LUMA X a lot of freedom of movement. The small size of the modem and its standard transparent link allow for easy retrofitting into legacy systems.”

Igor Martin, the co-founder and CEO of Hydromea, also said:

“Radio waves do not penetrate water well, so resolving high-bandwidth communication underwater, for streaming high volumes of data, is a huge challenge. With our focus on miniaturization and scalability, LUMA X is the first optical device of its kind in such form factor with these impressive characteristics. It is also extremely power-efficient which makes it suited for battery-powered applications to collect data without running a cable. Moreover, it is sensitive enough to not requiring direct line of sight to communicate in murky waters.”

Hydromea specifically focuses its development on affordable, autonomous and miniaturized devices used at any ocean depth for unprecedented data access.

LUMA X comes in a titanium housing with serial and ethernet connectors, pressure-rated to 6’000 meter depth. It has patent-pending technology to work in various lighting conditions and turbidity.