Neil Brown Ocean Sensors (NBOSI) has launched an integrated conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) sensor to redefine underwater data collection. It has been designed for smaller unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) in various industries.
According to NBOSI, the UUV landscape is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by technological advancements, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). As vehicles are getting smaller, all while growing in numbers and enhancing their capabilities, there is an increasing demand for compact, affordable, yet highly accurate sensors.
The integrated CTD sensor offers a compact, palm-sized design that provides research-quality temperature, salinity, depth and sound speed measurements.
Dr Dave Fratantoni, CEO of NBOSI, highlighted, “The new sensor features simplified maintenance, faster recalibration and superior data quality. Key advantages of NBOSI’s integrated CTD sensor include streamlined installation and maintenance. By eliminating the internal electronics board, NBOSI has made sensor integration, routine calibration, spares management and field replacement a breeze, reducing operational complexities for UUV fleets.”
Customers can get direct sound speed and ocean density data in real time with the precision pressure sensor, ensuring accurate data without burdening the vehicle’s CPU. The rugged and large-aperture flow-through design of the sensor not only offers hydrodynamic performance, but also eliminates the need for an energy-consumptive and noise-producing pump.
Design flexibility has been built in from the start with certain sensor variants featuring a bulkhead connector on the cell. This provides end users with greater vehicle and systems design freedom and operational flexibility, optimizing UUV deployments for maximum efficiency. As a further bonus, the new integrated CTD sensor maintains identical form factors and dimensions to existing NBOSI CT sensors, ensuring backward compatibility.
Fratantoni continued, “As UUVs continue to shrink in size, NBOSI’s compact sensors are poised to play a crucial role in meeting the industry’s demands. The company’s commitment to strategic focus and sensor versatility establishes NBOSI as a key player in the rapidly expanding UUV industry.”
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