Geoinformation underpins decision-making in urban planning, traffic and energy infrastructure, disaster prevention and environmental protection. Global challenges such as climate change, resource security and rapid urbanization demand reliable geospatial data, while advances in AI, cloud computing and autonomous systems accelerate its collection and use. These themes define the focus of Intergeo 2025, the leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management.
The subsea domain contributes an essential dimension to geoinformation. This is where EvoLogics brings in 25 years of innovation in underwater communication, positioning and robotics. At the centre of the company’s Intergeo showcase in Frankfurt is the compact Sonobot 5 uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) – a versatile platform that extends geodata collection into rivers, lakes, harbours and coastal environments, combining autonomy and advanced sensing with a streamlined, user-friendly design.
Origins
EvoLogics, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Berlin with a US sales office in Yorktown, Virginia, has a long history of blending advanced engineering with bionic concepts. The company’s expertise spans underwater acoustic communication, positioning systems, robotics and integrated sensors.
First introduced in 2011, the Sonobot was conceived to bridge the market gap between hydrographic surveys with handheld tools and those conducted with large, expensive vessels. Designed for single-person deployment yet capable of collecting professional-grade data, the concept has guided its evolution into today’s Sonobot 5 – a flexible USV platform adaptable to diverse needs.
Technical capabilities
The Sonobot 5 is a foldable twin-hull catamaran, designed for portability without sacrificing stability. The platform supports a wide range of survey payloads. GNSS options include DGPS and RTK for centimetre-level accuracy, with alternatives such as laser tracking with a total station for GNSS-denied environments. Multiple sonar configurations are available – single-beam echosounder, multibeam, sidescan or forward-looking sonar – ensuring that each system can be tailored to specific project needs. For visual data, the Sonobot 5 can be equipped with front-view overwater, underwater, stereo and thermal cameras.
The compact catamaran folds for transport, is assembled without tools and can be launched by a single operator. Once on the water, the USV runs the mission in supervised autonomy, navigating along a preprogrammed waypoint grid with the option for operator intervention over radio control. Mission planning is streamlined through EvoLogics’ dedicated software, which handles sensor parameter settings and survey grid design and provides live data visualization.
The vehicle’s powerful drives enable efficient manoeuvrability and coverage, with survey speeds of 0.5–1.5m/s and a top speed of 5m/s. The communication runs over a redundant mesh WiFi network; the wireless shore station supports real-time transfer of preview data and is available in several versions, including 1.5km, 2.5km and long-range options.
The Sonobot’s robust design is constructed from seawater-resistant carbon fibre, stainless steel and engineered plastics and enables operations in both clean and contaminated waters. With endurance of up to nine hours on a swappable battery pack, the system is equally suited for short deployments and longer, data-intensive surveys.
A notable add-on option for the Sonobot is the AI-based object recognition module, which processes raw sidescan sonar data directly onboard. Detected objects are highlighted in real time in the control software. This system can be cloud-linked, is regularly updated with new object classes and can be trained with user datasets to recognize custom targets.
Whether tasked with bathymetric mapping, structure inspection, environmental monitoring or search operations, the Sonobot 5 is a tool that offers a balance of portability, autonomy and professional-grade sensors.
Novel applications and USBL integration
Since 2015, EvoLogics has experimented with integrating the Sonobot platform with the company’s acoustic positioning technologies. Those early trials laid the groundwork for today’s Sonobot 5 USBL configuration, unveiled in 2024. The Sonobot 5 with USBL features a streamlined, motorized arm that submerges or lifts the USBL antenna as required, fully controlled by onboard software.
By combining survey capability with mobile acoustic networking, the Sonobot 5 extends its role from hydrography to multifunctional operations within EvoLogics’ broader ecosystem of subsea technologies, which opens new possibilities to smart subsea use cases. A Sonobot 5 with USBL can operate as a mobile surface node for EvoLogics’ Diver Navigation System, following divers to ensure they remain within range. It can also serve as a communications bridge for AUVs such as the Quadroin, linking submerged assets to shore control without the need for static buoys.
Use cases in practice
The Sonobot 5’s applications span industries. In inland and coastal waters, it serves as an efficient and reliable solution for hydrographic surveys, mapping channels, harbours and reservoirs. Environmental monitoring missions leverage its flexible payloads to track sediment, map habitats or document pollution. Infrastructure inspections, from bridges to dams, benefit from its mobility and sonar configurations.
Emergency response operations also stand to gain. Equipped with the Diver Navigation System and USBL, the Sonobot can act as a mobile relay for diver teams engaged in urgent tasks such as search and recovery or underwater cleanup. This adaptability underlines why the platform has become one of EvoLogics’ cornerstone technologies.
Scaling Sonobot 5 production
Meeting growing demand requires scaling both the product range and the production capacity behind it. In July 2025, as EvoLogics marked its 25th anniversary, the company completed a major expansion of its Berlin headquarters at WISTA Adlershof Technology Park. The new facility – phase two of the EvoLogics’ campus development – now hosts dedicated serial production lines for EvoLogics’ full portfolio: acoustic modems, USBL and LBL positioning systems, the Quadroin AUV, the Diver Navigation System and, crucially, the Sonobot 5 USV.
This purpose-built production building represents more than added floor space. It provides the infrastructure for EvoLogics to accelerate development pipelines, shorten manufacturing timelines and deliver at larger volumes. For the Sonobot 5, this means faster iteration of new payload configurations and the ability to meet a broader spectrum of customer needs.
By investing in manufacturing capacity, EvoLogics is ensuring that innovations such as the USBL-integrated Sonobot can transition smoothly from prototype to a serial production line, not as one-off systems but as robust, scalable solutions.
Looking ahead
The Sonobot’s evolution from a compact survey tool to a multifunctional platform reflects the company’s approach: practical innovation backed by solid engineering. With the new Berlin facility now online, upcoming developments – from AI modules to expanded payloads and cooperative vehicle interaction – can move faster from design to deployment.
As EvoLogics marks 25 years, the Sonobot 5 stands as both a proven solution and a launch pad for what comes next. At Intergeo, EvoLogics signals a clear focus: innovation paired with scalable delivery for the sector’s evolving needs. To learn more about the company’s solutions, visit EvoLogics at stand 1C040 in hall 12.1.