Geoinformation underpins decision-making in urban planning, traffic and energy infrastructure, disaster prevention and environmental protection. Global challenges such as climate change, resource security and rapid urbanization demand reliable geospatial data, while advances in AI, cloud computing and autonomous systems unlock new possibilities for its collection and use.
The subsea domain contributes an essential dimension to geoinformation. This is where EvoLogics brings in 25 years of innovation in underwater communication, positioning and robotics. The company is integrating these technologies into a new generation of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) capable of intelligent, cooperative missions – a networked task force for automated data collection, where surface and subsea vehicles operate as an integrated team.
The Sonobot 5: compact, capable and connected
The EvoLogics Sonobot 5 uncrewed surface vehicle is a foldable twin-hull catamaran designed for autonomous hydrographic and inspection missions in inland and coastal waters. Lightweight, portable and easy to deploy, it delivers professional-grade data collection with minimal logistic effort.
Its modular payload architecture supports high-precision GNSS, multiple sonar options (single-beam, multibeam, sidescan, forward-looking) and various visual sensors, including stereo and thermal cameras. Tool-free assembly, intuitive mission-planning software and up to nine hours of endurance make it a flexible platform for bathymetry, environmental surveys and infrastructure inspections.
An optional USBL antenna mounted on a retractable arm transforms the Sonobot 5 into a mobile acoustic node for underwater positioning and communication. This integration enables the USV to exchange acoustic signals with underwater vehicles, providing them with GNSS corrections and serving as a data relay to the operator station onshore.
The Quadroin AUV: bionic design for efficient subsea surveys
Below the surface, the EvoLogics Quadroin autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) delivers efficient and detailed underwater imaging. Inspired by the hydrodynamics of penguins, its spindle-shaped hull minimizes drag and enables speeds of up to 10 knots while maintaining low energy consumption for long, data-intensive missions.
Equipped with sidescan sonar, a downward-looking full-HD camera and an AI-based object recognition module, the Quadroin performs sidescan sonar mapping and detection of submerged assets. It operates autonomously along pre-programmed waypoint grids, using inertial navigation enhanced by USBL/LBL acoustic positioning fixes and periodic GNSS locks from acoustic surface gateways.
The AI system onboard the Quadroin processes sonar and video feeds in real time, classifying objects and relaying detection information to the surface for immediate evaluation.
A cooperative USV-AUV-diver network
Where these two systems truly stand out is in their ability to cooperate as a networked team. Acting as a mobile surface gateway, a Sonobot 5 equipped with USBL tracks and communicates with a submerged Quadroin over the acoustic link.
The Sonobot provides GNSS-referenced acoustic positioning fixes, relays mission status updates to the operator and ensures continuous data flow between the underwater vehicle and the control station. Its mobility allows it to follow the AUV along its route, maintaining optimal acoustic geometry and extending the operational range beyond what stationary surface buoys can cover.
The same acoustic network can also connect EvoLogics’ Diver Communication System units. Divers in the field can receive mission updates, including object detections from the Quadroin’s onboard AI, directly through their underwater displays. This enables supervisors to guide divers toward the discoveries for on-site inspection – integrating human expertise into the autonomous workflow.
This synergy effectively merges hydrography, navigation and communication into a single adaptive system:
- The Quadroin AUV collects sidescan sonar and visual data
- The Sonobot 5 USV handles positioning, navigation assistance and data relay at the surface
- The divers receive updates and guidance through the shared acoustic network
- The shore control station maintains situational awareness through continuous surface-to-shore communication
For complex missions, multiple Sonobots and stationary USBL buoys can be combined into a hybrid surface gateway network, covering larger areas and enhancing acoustic positioning accuracy. The result is a scalable, multi-vehicle system that links AUVs, USVs and divers into a coordinated operational framework.
Multidomain applications
This integrated approach unlocks new possibilities across several sectors:
- Hydrography: High-resolution seabed mapping with coordinated data collection from the surface and underwater vehicles
- Infrastructure inspection: Combined sonar and camera surveys for bridges, pipelines and offshore installations
- Environmental monitoring: Collaborative mapping of habitats, sediment transport and pollution
- Search and recovery: Real-time detection and localization of objects using the AUV’s onboard AI and the USV’s surface communications link, supported by divers for on-site verification
- Scientific research: Multi-vehicle sampling and observation networks for oceanographic and ecological studies
By uniting autonomous vehicles that communicate acoustically, EvoLogics develops a practical framework for hybrid subsea operations – where robots and humans share a connected data environment.
Networked vehicles for the future
Connecting the Sonobot 5, Quadroin and Diver Communication System exemplifies EvoLogics’ vision for the next generation of subsea platforms: autonomous, connected, collaborative and scalable. Working together, they bridge the surface, subsea and human domains, enabling continuous data exchange, accurate navigation and real-time mission awareness.
EvoLogics continues to evolve these technologies for cooperative, data-driven operations – the subsea networks reshaping how data is gathered, processed and shared.