SAMS news room

SAMS takes delivery of new Gavia AUV

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has been testing its new state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle, recently acquired from global technology leader Teledyne Gavia.

SAMS hosts the submarine-like robot on behalf of the Marine Autonomous and Robotics (MARS) community run by UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The AUV, which has been named 'Freya', after the Norse god of beauty, can go to depths of 500 metres and can carry out a number of tasks, including seabed mapping. Initial archaeological surveys are planned for next month.

Dr John Howe, Senior Lecturer in Marine Geology, said:

"SAMS is delighted to receive the Gavia AUV on behalf of the MARS community. We have been impressed by the vehicle's adaptability and ease of use and the GeoSwath+ data has been excellent. We look forward to working closely with Gavia in the future."

The Gavia AUV is an autonomous sensor platform that is user configurable by the addition of one or more sensor, navigation, or battery modules using a unique twist lock system. The Gavia is designed to be operated from vessels and has the greatest depth rating of any vehicle in its class.

Arnar Steingrimsson, Director of Vehicle Sales at Teledyne Marine Systems, said:

"We are delighted to have a world class scientific organization, such as SAMS, join our growing group of Gavia scientific users. The modular design of the Gavia AUV gives scientific organisations the flexibility they need to add or change modules, or develop custom payloads, in response to changing mission requirements."

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