Kraken Robotics Develops New Underwater Sonar System
Kraken Robotics Inc. announced the development of its KATFISH sonar platform, designed for real-time, ultra-high-resolution seabed mapping for military and commercial use.
ST. JOHN’S, NL – Kraken Robotics Inc. has announced the development of its KATFISH (Kraken Active Tow FISH) sonar platform, a system engineered for both military and commercial applications. The objective is to provide real-time, ultra-high-resolution seabed mapping capabilities.
The KATFISH system integrates Kraken's Miniature Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar (MINSAS) technology and real-time SAS processing algorithms. It features an actively controlled, intelligent towfish designed for stability and performance. The system includes a winch and handling subsystem for easy deployment, towing, and recovery, making it adaptable for installation on various vessels of opportunity.
Kraken Robotics states that KATFISH offers continuous high-resolution seabed imagery across its full range, surpassing conventional side-scan systems in detection and classification capabilities. The system also generates precise bathymetric data co-registered with the imagery, enabling detailed 3D digital terrain models. Proof-of-concept sea trials have been successfully completed, with commercial availability slated for the first quarter of 2016.
The company highlights KATFISH's ability to achieve centimeter-scale resolution in 3D, significantly improving the detection and identification of small seabed objects. This real-time, full-resolution data capability contrasts with traditional Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which often require recovery before data processing can occur, potentially causing operational delays in survey missions.