Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Researchers at University of Washington were faced with the challenge of subsea communication between its remote-operated vehicle (ROV) and purpose-built docking station fitted with wireless charging capabilities.
“LUMA 250LP is an excellent solution for sending information between the dock and vehicle - it enables high bandwidth, low latency data transfers compared to alternative underwater communications options. LUMA worked out of the box with our design and was easy to integrate with our vehicle and dock. This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under FOA2234 Topic Area 1: Marine Energy Foundational Research and Testing Infrastructure, DE-EE0009449.” DANA MANALANG, Senior Principal Engineer at APL-UW
AT A GLANCE
Hydromea’s LUMA systems provide users with a host of solutions for subsea data transfer challenges. Using cutting-edge optical technology which is designed to be easily integrated into existing equipment, it provides high-speed wireless communications delivering more productive projects for its customers.
THE SOLUTION
Researchers at University of Washington were able to dock a BlueROV2, converted for autonomous operations, into an underwater garage in dynamic seas using Hydromea’s LUMA 250LP modems. This communication link served to aid the autonomous docking process whilst also allowing immediate access to data harvested during ROV operations without recovery of the ROV system.
University of Washington are currently developing resident ROV systems with autonomous capabilities made possible through integration of LUMA technology.
BENEFITS
‘Out of the Box’ Integration
LUMA 250LP is very energy efficient and been designed to be easily integrated using a standard SubConn connector.
Increased Operational Efficiency
Enabling technology for Subsea ROV Residency
Founded in 2014, Hydromea is a Swiss-based technology company delivering solutions that allow customers to have near real-time high-speed and high-volume data access in the subsea environment. Hydromea’s unique expertise lies in three complimentary underwater technology areas: wireless communication networking, robotics and navigation.