USA: Bluefin Robotics Adds Klein 3500 Sonar to AUV Payload List

Bluefin Robotics, a leading provider of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), announced that the company has added the L-3 Klein UUV-3500 Side Scan Sonar to its growing list of vehicle payload offerings.

The integration effort was internally funded to support company initiatives to expand sensor options and continue to provide state-of-the-art technology to the market. The L-3 Klein UUV-3500 sonar is one of several next-generation, compact digital sensors available on Bluefin vehicles that provide both side scan sonar and interferometric bathymetry data particularly suited for mine countermeasures applications.

“We are pleased to offer new payload options to the community,” said David P. Kelly, President and CEO of Bluefin Robotics. “The combination of our vehicle stability and navigation capability, along with the sonar’s exceptional imagery makes for a very high-quality tool for our customers.”

In 2012, the Ocean Technology Lab at the University of Victoria first integrated the sonar on a Bluefin-12 by utilizing Bluefin’s standard payload interface. Their team conducted successful demonstrations and survey work in Canadian Arctic and provided valuable feedback to both Bluefin and L-3 Klein regarding system level performance.

Demonstrations to the community will be scheduled for spring of 2014.

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Press Release, September 18, 2013; Image: Bluefin Robotics