CATALYST AUV Specifications

Vehicle Diameter: 71 cm/28 in

Vehicle Length: 3.84 m/12.6 ft

Weight in Air: 862 kg/1900 lbs

Max Operating Depth: 6000 meters/19,685 ft/3.7 miles

Energy: 11 kWh rechargeable Li-ion battery pack

Endurance: Mission duration of up to 22 hours

Propulsion: Direct drive DC brushless motor to an open 2 bladed propeller

Velocity Range: Up to 2.6 m/s (5 knots)

Control: 2 coupled yaw and pitch fins; altitude, depth, yo-yo, and track-line

Tracking: Emergency transponder, mission abort, ascent weight drop, Iridium, GPS


NAVIGATION

Inertial Navigation Unit (INU)
Consists of accelerometers and gyros which measure the vehicle’s movement in three directions (surge, sway, heave), and three rotations (roll, pitch, yaw), just like an airplane or a rocket to determine the vehicle’s velocity and current mission travel distance; and integrates data from other instruments to calculate a “best estimate” of the vehicle’s actual location.

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
Uses pulses of sound bounced off of the seafloor to determine the vehicle’s altitude and ground speed

Pencil-Beam Sonar Collision Avoidance System
Uses pulses of sound sent in the direction the vehicle is headed that bounce off of obstacles in its way, determining the need for evasive action to maneuver around an obstacle.

COMMUNICATIONS

Upper and Lower Long Baseline Transducers
Communicates through “pings” with pre-laid Deep Ocean Transponders (DOTs) to determine the vehicle’s location relative to its pre-programmed route; enables shipboard ops to send and receive data from the vehicle via multiple pulses similar to morse code; and allows for clear communications in any vehicle position via either the upper or lower instrument.

Acoustic Modem Transducer
Enables shipboard ops to send data to the vehicle via multiple pulses similar to morse code.

GPS/Iridium/Wi-Fi Antenna
Consists of a 3-way antenna that allows the vehicle, when at the surface, to determine its position using GPS; connects the vehicle’s system to the shipboard computer via a WiFi connection, or Iridium satellite phone connection; and enables the vehicle to “phone home” with its location, if it becomes lost.

SURVEY INSTRUMENTS

Dual-frequency Side-Scan Sonar
Consists of two arrays of transducers (underwater speaker/microphones) which look out and down on either side of the AUV; and illuminates the seafloor via sound waves, using “pings” to assemble a 2D image of the seafloor and the objects resting on it.

Custom Digital Camera w/Strobe Light
Snaps digital photographs when the vehicle is within 10 meters of the seafloor, synced with strobe light just like a flash bulb on a typical consumer camera; and tags photos with position and time and stores them in an onboard hard drive, downloadable at the surface.

Multibeam Profiling Sonar Consists of multiple sonar beams which “ping” the seafloor at different angles, creating a 3D image of its contours and shape.

Sub-Bottom Profiling Sonar
Uses a powerful sound beam to look at what’s buried under the sediment on the seafloor.

Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor (CTD)
Measures conductivity (the saltiness of the water), water temperature, and vehicle depth.

STRUCTURE

Vehicle Frame and Foam Hull
The Titanium internal spine (called a strongback) provides structural support and a frame to which all the instruments, motors, and electronics are secured in water-tight, pressure-resistant metal cans. The outside hull consists of large blocks of syntactic foam (in yellow) that provide flotation, are impenetrable by water and do not crush at depth under extreme pressures.

Lifting Bail
Provides a safe structural lifting point for pulling the vehicle out of the water.

Propulsion/Propeller Shaft
Provides precision thrust and direction capability to steer the vehicle.

Electronics and Battery Compartment
Holds the vehicle computer and its Lithium-Ion batteries which provide a rechargeable, lightweight, and efficient power source.

Recovery Strobe Light
Supplies a bright, blinking white light for nighttime vehicle recovery operations.