ACUA Ocean, RS Aqua to Scale Offshore AI Acoustic Data Gathering

ACUA Ocean has signed a memorandum of understanding with RS Aqua to accelerate the remote deployment of long-endurance, persistent ocean acoustic data-gathering systems using uncrewed offshore platforms.

Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on scaling long-endurance offshore missions involving the deployment of AI-enabled deep-water acoustic sensors in open-ocean environments.

The partnership focuses on the technical integration and operational development of clusters of RS Aqua’s NiKA ASW Profiling Floats equipped with MARLIN AI acoustic processing systems, deployed by ACUA Ocean’s long-endurance, high sea state-capable uncrewed surface vessel (USV) PIONEER.

The combined mothership-and-payload concept is designed to allow the deployment of dozens of ASW profiling floats from USV PIONEER during a single mission.

The approach is intended to support persistently positioned offshore platforms capable of deploying deep-water sensors at short notice, while reducing the operational risks and costs associated with crewed vessels and manual deployment in hazardous offshore environments.

“Partnering with RS Aqua enables the perfect conceptual and technological match of their suite of technologies, particularly the NiKA floats and MARLIN software, with USV PIONEER.

“This is another example of where we believe that USV PIONEER offers something that cannot be found in any similarly-sized and priced USV - a highly cost-effective