HydroSurv Partners with EIVA to Supply Autopilots

HydroSurv, a UK-based company in the uncrewed surface vessel (USV) sector, recently announced a partnership with Danish engineering company EIVA to supply autopilots for a lease fleet of USVs.

The integration of EIVA’s hydrographic survey software bundle, NaviSuite Kuda, with the innovative autopilot technology installed on HydroSurv’s REAV-28 USV design offers operators adaptive line planning and automated area coverage optimization tools to analyse MBES data in real time. The software can automatically calculate optimal runlines based on collected data and position. Through streamlined integration with the autopilot, this results in precise line-keeping typically with an accuracy of +/- 15cm, even in sharp turns.

Sailing Towards Complete Autonomy

For hydrographic surveyors, this solution extends the capability of HydroSurv USVs to intelligently and reliably complete shallow-water missions while offering the operator a familiar front-end control interface. The USV is controlled straight out of NaviSuite Kuda, enabling efficient, dependable, safe, low-carbon remote data collection, as well as yielding immediately deliverable data.

Martin Kristensen, EIVA vice president hardware development, commented: “Working together with HydroSurv, EIVA has optimized its full hardware and software autopilot solution. As a result, HydroSurv’s USVs can now leverage the powerful survey capabilities of NaviSuite Kuda, such as advanced data acquisition and navigation-aiding, to sail towards complete autonomy.”

David Hull, HydroSurv CEO, commented: “EIVA has been a valued partner to HydroSurv since our entry into the USV space and we look forward to extending our collaboration further through mutual product development. Working symbiotically on the development of high-quality, small-equipment USV products has seen EIVA develop a new core technology for commercial deployment onto HydroSurv’s 2.8 to 6m vessels.”

EIVA has over 40 years of experience in the development and delivery of solutions to offshore and shallow-water engineering and survey industries. The company has worked with HydroSurv since early 2020, collaboratively developing EIVA’s NaviSuite Kuda – Autopilot. HydroSurv’s first order quickly followed in 2021, with multiple autopilot systems now on order for USVs ranging from 1.6 to 4.5 metres.