Gavia Technology

The Gavia is a self contained survey solution with a low logistics footprint and capable of operations at depths of up to 1000m while carrying out a wide range of missions for military, commercial and scientific applications.

The Gavia is a modular AUV. All of the Gavia modules are plug and play modules which can be user configured in the field by inserting the required module for the task at hand. Sensors can be upgraded as newer become available, or as mission requirements change. Additional capability modules can be added on at a later date.

The modular design carries a number of benefits not found in competing non modular systems including ease of transport and maintenance, upgradability, and capabilities to execute varying types of missions based on requirements and available modules. An organization can for example increase the usage of a particular vehicle by allowing various departments with different tasks to own different modules that are utilized on the same base vehicle.

The Gavia comes as standard with WAAS/EGNOS GPS for surface navigation, Iridium Satellite communication, and Wireless LAN connection for data transfer. In addition an acoustic modem is used for communication and status updates while the vehicle is submerged. An array of sensors and options are available, including SeeByte's AutoTracker for autonomous pipeline inspection, side scan sonar, camera, swath bathymetry, ADCP, various environmental sensors such as CTD’s Sound Velocity, O2, and optical backscatter sensors and custom payload modules. Navigation options include DVL-aided INS, LBL and USBL.

All of the Gavia’s control surfaces and the propeller are protected by a nozzle which helps reduce the chance of snagging kelp, nets, and fishing line in the screw, and protects the control surfaces from damage during launch and recovery.