Robosys Automation and FarSounder have combined autonomous navigation with real-time underwater perception for superyachts and USVs. The integration gives vessel operators another layer of environmental data when navigating areas where charts and conventional sensors may provide limited information.
Robosys Automation has integrated FarSounder’s Argos 3D Forward Looking Sonar with its VOYAGER AI autonomous navigation platform, giving superyachts and uncrewed surface vessels access to real-time information on underwater hazards alongside conventional navigation data.
The integration brings FarSounder’s forward-looking sonar into VOYAGER AI’s route planning, collision avoidance and vessel control functions. The system can detect and track subsurface hazards and shallow water ahead, allowing the navigation software to incorporate that information when assessing a vessel’s route.
For shipowners and fleet managers, the integration addresses a gap in conventional navigation systems. Charts and traditional echo sounders provide important information, but they do not give an autonomous system the same real-time view of what lies ahead beneath the surface.
FarSounder’s Argos technology creates a three-dimensional view of the seabed and underwater obstacles. VOYAGER AI can then combine this information with above-water sensor data as part of its navigation decision-making.
“Integrating FarSounder’s proven forward-looking sonar technology with VOYAGER AI represents another important step towards intelligent maritime operations,” said Aditya Nawab, CEO, Robosys Automation. “The ability to combine above-water sensor data with real-time underwater subsea awareness enhances navigation safety and provides operators with greater confidence when operating in challenging environments.”
The technology has applications across both crewed and uncrewed vessels. Superyacht operators can use the additional underwater awareness when navigating poorly charted waters, remote anchorages and complex coastal areas. USV operators can use the same data to support autonomous missions where submerged hazards could affect route planning and vessel safety.
Matthew Zimmerman, CEO of FarSounder, said the integration gives autonomous systems access to information below the surface.
“Autonomous navigation is only as capable as the information available to the system. By bringing Argos 3D sonar’s real-time underwater perception into the VOYAGER AI autonomy stack, vessels can extend their situational awareness below the surface and into the water ahead,” Zimmerman said.
The integration also shows how autonomy is being built through combinations of specialised sensor and control technologies rather than a single navigation system. For vessel operators, that means the practical scope of autonomous navigation can be expanded by feeding more environmental data directly into the systems responsible for route and collision decisions.
VOYAGER AI is designed for leisure, commercial, remotely operated and autonomous vessels, while FarSounder has spent 25 years developing 3D forward-looking navigation sonar technology.
