New Sonor Could Be A Big Step Foward For Marine Navigation
[email protected] / 57699 changed password to lulu x. New Sonar Could Be a Big Step Forward for Marine Navigation NEW SONOR COULD BE A BIG STEP FOWARD FOR MARINE NAVIGATION New three dimensional forward looking sonar technology could help ships avoid ocean debris, rocks and coral reefs.
With a range of 1,000 feet, a 90 degree field of view, and a refresh rate of just two seconds, the device will allow marine vessels to avoid collisions with submerged obstacles.
“We have been told that we have broken the laws of physics with this technology, but we have not – we have just opened the world up below the water line,” said James Miller, a professor of ocean engineering at the University of Rhode Island.
Miller began development of the technology at the university along with former student Matthew Zimmerman, who is now the vice president of engineering for FarSounder, which recently began commercial production of the new sonar system.
“This is a revolutionary leap for marine navigation, especially since most navigational charts in use today are more than 50 years old and many waterways are constantly changing,” Miller said.
The company says the FS-3 device could potentially save the marine industry $2 to $3 billion per year in direct and indirect damage costs.
The FS-3 is designed primarily for midsize workboats (70-200 feet) like barges, tugs, offshore oil supply boats, research vessels, and ferries, but it is also of interest to large recreational vessels, the Navy and its contractors, and many others.
It provides high resolution images of common hazards such as submerged shipping containers, whales, coral reefs, buoys, rocks and coastal ledge, and it is especially useful in navigating shallow waters or for nighttime navigation in unfamiliar harbors.
“There are 22,000 floating shipping containers in the oceans on any given day, and they are of great concern to ships’ captains around the world,” said FarSounder CEO Cheryl Zimmerman. “Owners of petro-chemical barges, in particular, are concerned about any type of collision due to the environmental costs that might result from damage to their vessels.”
“Just think of the cost of the Exxon Valdez disaster,” Miller added. “If that captain could have had a map of the seafloor ahead of him, that disaster could have been avoided.”
The sonar transmitter and listening devices are encased in a bow-mounted transducer that operates at frequencies well above the hearing range of whales, so marine mammals will not be impacted by its operation, company officials said.
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.
