OceanServer Technology announced that Cal Poly has agreed to purchase a second Iver2 AUV for research purposes. The first Iver2 AUV was purchased in 2008 and has been used extensively for a variety of research applications including one project that required the vehicle to operate under the ice in the Arctic. The new vehicle will also be a multi use platform in a number of research efforts including marine life tracking (such as sharks). The EP42 vehicle will be outfitted with a DVL for precision navigation and acoustic current profiling, along with a dual port camera system and a low-power acoustic modem.
The EP42 Expandable Payload (EP) platform includes a dedicated user CPU with disk to enable the installation of a user-selected operating system, sensor drivers and behavioral software. In addition, the EP vehicle ships with a well-documented Application Protocol Interface (API) with select vehicle command options to permit backseat driver control of the Iver2 AUV. The EP42 vehicle provides added payload space and a larger battery system with 760 Watt Hours of total battery capacity for extended mission range.
The Iver Platform
All Iver2 AUV models come standard with OceanServer’s VectorMap Mission Planning and Data Presentation tool, which provides geo-registered data files that can be easily exported to other software analysis tools. This unique software design, coupled to a growing variety of sensors, has enabled OceanServer to carve out a strong position in the research space for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. The VectorMap program can input NOAA ENCs or any geo-referenced chart, map or photo image, allowing the operator to intuitively develop AUV missions using simple point-and-click navigation.
The base vehicle, with a starting price at just over $50,000, gives university, government and commercial users an affordable base-platform for sensor development or survey applications in water quality, hydrography, sub-surface security and general research.