A New Wave of Underwater Comms Is Coming
Researchers at the University of Padova are developing a low-cost underwater acoustic modem, expected to be sold for one-tenth the price of current models, enhancing accessibility for various research applications.
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Researchers at the University of Padova in Italy are developing a low-cost underwater acoustic modem aimed at making underwater communication more accessible. Traditional underwater communication systems are expensive, with modems often exceeding $10,000, limiting their use primarily to defense and offshore oil and gas industries. The new modem, created by the startup SubSeaPulse SRL, is built on a Raspberry Pi and is expected to be sold for about one-tenth the price of existing models. It consists of three layers: a Raspberry Pi base, a sound card for audio signal processing, and a front end. Additionally, the team is working on a more affordable transducer, which typically costs over $2,000, by modifying a device used for listening to marine mammals, reducing its cost to around $400. This innovation could expand the applications of underwater sensors in areas such as climate change research, pollution monitoring, and biodiversity tracking. The modem is software-defined, allowing users to customize signal modulation for specific applications, and can also function as an analog front-end for testing acoustic signals. Experts believe that this development could significantly benefit researchers lacking access to expensive equipment, although challenges related to range and signal distortion in underwater environments remain.
- A new low-cost underwater acoustic modem is being developed by researchers at the University of Padova.
- The modem is expected to be sold for about one-tenth the price of current models, making it more accessible.
- The technology could expand the use of underwater sensors in various research fields.
- The modem is software-defined, allowing for customization based on user needs.
- Challenges related to range and signal distortion in underwater communication persist.
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10 commentsBut their modem[1] uses NATO's JANUS standard[2], which communicates at 11.5 kHz, which is just audible to humans, but well within range of marine mammals[3].
1: https://www.subseapulse.com/products/ 2: https://spectrum.ieee.org/nato-develops-first-standardized-a... 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_range#/media/File:Anim...
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/garmin-technology/dive-science/...
In this case it's a good idea. And they know exactly where their market is. I hope it takes off. :)
There are plenty of applications where the reliability requirements are it works most of the time.
The original underwater channel model and propagation however, fittingly the Professor's most cited paper, came later which kind of strange since you usually come up with channel model and propagation first before the modulation, not the reverse [3].
[1] Low Complexity OFDM Detector for Underwater Acoustic Channels (OCEANS 2006):
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4098993
[2] MIMO-OFDM Over An Underwater Acoustic Channel (OCEANS 2007):
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4449296
[3] Underwater acoustic communication channels: Propagation models and statistical characterization (IEEE Communications Magazine 2009):
Also what frequency does an acoustic modem typically use?
And finally are they expensive because they're somewhat niche, or difficult to manufacture, both, or other reasons?
Edit: looks like the datasheet for 'Waterlinked M16', mentioned in another comment answers the first couple of questions. Seems a lot lower in power than I'd have thought.
Sensing sound.... that might be harder. Perhaps you could close-loop control the capacitance of the above, and "listen" to the error signal?
That does beat the next cheapest option, the Waterlinked M16 that's $2.4k for 1km range and 10 bits/s. They don't list any specifics about capabilities though.
https://blog.unetstack.net/Project-Sabine-Low-cost-DIY-under...
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