SatLab Geosolutions has unveiled the HydroBoat 1200 GEN2, an upgraded lightweight Unmanned Survey Vessel (USV) designed for marine surveying and hydrological data collection.
Weighing 29 kilograms and measuring 1050 millimeters in length, the compact vessel features an IP67-rated twin-hull structure engineered for enhanced stability during field operations. The hardware incorporates millimeter-wave radar for obstacle avoidance, anti-tangle propellers to prevent debris disruption, and a hot-swappable single or dual battery system that delivers an operational runtime exceeding four hours.
Designed for versatile deployment, the platform supports payloads weighing up to 40 kilograms. It comes equipped with a built-in single-beam echosounder and features a control system that integrates GNSS and single-beam echosounder data fusion alongside a GNSS+IMU system to ensure steady positioning performance. The vessel is compatible with external instrumentation including the HydroBeam M2 multibeam echosounder, dual-frequency echosounders, multi-brand acoustic Doppler current profilers, side-scan sonars, and water quality monitors.
Automation is managed through the updated SLHydro USV Android application, which facilitates intelligent survey route planning and automated data acquisition for single-beam, multibeam, and acoustic Doppler current profiler surveys. The software platform also provides long-distance 4G connectivity, real-time camera monitoring, onboard data storage, and safety functions to minimize the need for manual intervention during field operations.
The multi-functional unmanned vessel is designed for applications across rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ports. Specific use cases include riverbed and reservoir basin mapping, underwater terrain mapping, channel and basin sweep surveys, dredging volume calculations, and dam safety monitoring. Additional applications include hazardous section monitoring, dockside depth evaluation, underwater obstacle detection, and siltation and ecological monitoring.
