ESENSE by ELWAVE is a high-sensitivity underwater electric field sensor designed for subsea inspection, environmental monitoring and maritime security applications.
Designed for persistent deployment and integration into different underwater platforms, the passive sensing solution supports electric signature characterization and the detection of underwater activity.
High-Sensitivity Electric Field Measurement
ESENSE offers sensitivity below 10 pV/m at 1 Hz, with a measurement bandwidth of DC to 2,000 Hz and configurable sampling rates from 10 to 4,000 samples per second.
The sensor uses robust titanium dry electrodes and self-calibration, with configurations supporting electric field measurements along up to three axes. Selectable amplifier gains and configurable filtering options provide additional measurement settings.
Flexible Integration & Data Analysis
ESENSE is available as an OEM solution or as an assembled ESENSE 300 system.
The OEM version features a printed circuit board measuring 50.8 × 78.7 mm and weighing 28 g, with serial timestamped data output and configurable filters, gains and sampling rates.
ESENSE 300 features a 300 m depth-rated aluminum housing, with a 6,000 m titanium version available on request. The system comprises a sensor pod, electrode hubs and electrodes.
The assembled system is supplied with ELWAVE’s OWLIA data acquisition and analysis software, which provides real-time visualization and replay, X, Y and Z electric field plots and spectrograms, demodulation, digital filtering, eventing and CSV export.
Subsea Inspection & Maritime Security Applications
For offshore infrastructure inspection, ESENSE supports the mapping and tracking of subsea power and communication cables, including burial-depth assessment, alongside contactless pipeline cathodic protection surveys and electric field gradient measurements. Its applications also extend to environmental electric field monitoring and the detection of underwater electrical hazards to support diver safety.
In defense and maritime security, ESENSE supports Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) detection, electromagnetic signature intelligence and mine countermeasures. These applications include detecting intruders’ propulsion systems, characterizing electric signatures and checking the electrical activity of sonar contacts. The sensor also supports integration with towed arrays and sonobuoys for anti-submarine warfare applications.
For more information about ESENSE and its capabilities, visit the ELWAVE website.
