Navy asks Hydroid to upgrade UUV with WiFi networking and new onboard computer
SAN DIEGO, 13 Aug. 2013. U.S. Navy officials are asking unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) engineers at Hydroid Inc. in Pocasset, Mass., to upgrade a REMUS UUV operated by the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., with a variety of new capabilities.
The Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center in San Diego issued a request for quote Monday (N6227113Q1257) for Hydroid to make the upgrades to a REMUS S/N 231 unmanned system, procured in 2002, to a configuration more compatible with a more-modern REMUS S/N 359 UUV.
These two UUVs are different model years and different configurations of the REMUS 100 small UUV, Hydroid officials explain. S/N numbers refer to federal serial numbers.
Officials of the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Autonomous Vehicle Research (CAVR) needs upgrades to the UUV that include collaborative multi-UUCV operations in confined spaces, underwater docking, and wireless communications.
This solicitation comes the same week as the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference and trade show in Washington. Hydroid is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime in Kongsberg, Norway.
Navy officials want Hydroid to perform routine factory maintenance on REMUS S/N 231 to include inspection, testing, and calibration of the UUV, upgrade the REMUS S/N 231 to include WiFi networking capability similar to the REMUS S/N 359 UUV, which includes installing radio, cabling, and a dorsal fin antenna.
The Navy also wants Hydroid to install a new computer and VxWorks operating system that can simulate and control the UUV's cross-body thruster modules. Hydroid also is being asked to replace the UUV's batteries as necessary, and perform bench testing, sea testing, and factory acceptance testing.
Hydroid provides the REMUS 100; REMUS 100-S; REMUS 600; REMUS 600-S; REMUS 6000 - AUV; and REMUS launch and recovery system unmanned underwater vehicle equipment. REMUS is an acronym for Remote Environmental Measuring UnitS.
The REMUS 100 a compact, light-weight UUV designed for operation in coastal environments up to 100 meters in depth, while the REMUS 100-S is a configuration for hydrographic and offshore surveys. The REMUS 600, meanwhile, operates at depths from 600 to 1,500 meters for as long as 24 hours. The REMUS 6000 can dive as deep as 6000 meters, and can perform long mission durations in shallow littoral areas.
More information on the REMUS upgrade is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVSUP/200/N6227113Q1257/listing.html. Also contact Hydroid at www.km.kongsberg.com/hydroid.
