Neil Brown Ocean Sensors (NBOSI), a leading provider of cutting-edge sensor technologies, has made groundbreaking contracts with two pioneering companies, Apeiron Labs and Acbotics Research.
These engagements mark exciting milestones for both NBOSI and the industry as they demonstrate novel applications of NBOSI’s new 500 Series Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensors and highlight the utility of these sensors to ocean technology partners across multiple sectors.
Apeiron Labs (Cambridge, MA) and Acbotics Research (Falmouth, MA) have emerged as early adopters of NBOSI’s innovative new CTD family, recognizing the potential of these small, accurate, rugged and reliable sensors to support ocean technology and research programs.
These contracts represent not only new business for NBOSI but also underscore the growing demand for advanced sensor solutions, in particular CTD sensors, across diverse applications including commercial monitoring and survey, underwater acoustics, oceanographic research, and defense.
Acbotics Research is a start-up building semi-Lagrangian autonomous floats for a collaborative NSF-funded effort titled, “Passive Localized Underwater Transiting Observing Systems (PLUTOS)”, with partners at Portland State, Georgia Tech, University of Delaware, and University of Georgia.
The PLUTOS project seeks to develop and demonstrate a system of low-cost, modular, open-source logging drifters with acoustic and eDNA sensing/sampling capabilities to capture multi-modal data, with initial pilot studies for seal food web ecology in Massachusetts and California.
Acbotics will utilize NBOSI’s Model 501 CTD to collect temperature and salinity data for acoustic modelling, for density calculations used in real-time buoyancy control, and to provide water column temperature and salinity as a part of the science dataset. The Model 501 offers precision electronics combined with a compact and rugged sensor body to deliver real-time, research-quality ocean data in an affordable, easy-to-integrate package.
Venture-backed Apeiron Labs’ mission is to lower the cost of acquiring data from the upper ocean by orders of magnitude. Requiring accuracy, reliability, and a compact size, the NBOSI Model 503 CTD was selected for their new Tensor 1 platform as it is geometrically and hydrodynamically optimized for smaller platforms while maintaining all the performance benefits of the Model 501.
To date, NBOSI has primarily operated within the defense sector, so these novel commercial and oceanographic research applications represent new directions made possible by the innovative design and competitive pricing of NBOSI sensors.
Dave Fratantoni, CEO at NBOSI, said; ”We are thrilled to partner with both Apeiron Labs and Acbotics Research on these exciting projects. We offer a uniquely personal approach to CTD sensor technology based on our years of experience both building and using our products in challenging ocean environments.
“We look forward to collaborating closely with both partners to ensure our sensors deliver accurate and reliable ocean measurements in support of their program goals.”
Will O’Halloran, Vice President of Engineering at Apeiron Labs, said; “Measuring subsurface ocean temperature and salinity is foundational to several of our target markets. NBOSI’s 503 gives us the sensor quality we need in a package that fits neatly in our Tensor 1 autonomous underwater vehicle.”
Dr. Erin Fischell at Acbotics Research also recognised the advantages of the NBOSI sensor, stating; “NBOSI’s sensor integrated seamlessly with our solutions to deliver our exacting requirements for small form factor, low-cost underwater sensing systems to the scientific community.”
