Testing in the Most Demanding Environment: Challenges of Extreme Marine Conditions

Few environments are as challenging as the open ocean. Massive waves, saltwater, intense sun, strong winds, thick fog, and of course constant exposure to water are just some of the obstacles to overcome when collecting data and conducting hydrographic surveys. It's truly a "sink or swim" environment in every sense. The good news? If lidar can operate reliably in these conditions, you can be confident it will work anywhere. Ouster's digital lidar, serving as a critical component in Seafloor System's newest autonomous nearshore vessel, proves exactly that.

Seafloor Systems and Digital Lidar: Enabling Reliable Data Collection

Application Scope

Seafloor Systems uses Ouster's digital lidar for various water-based data collection needs. Their applications range from mapping lakes, rivers, and seafloors to deploying unmanned vessels that monitor water conveyance systems for anomalies and environmental irregularities. For example, in California's Delta region, Seafloor's vessels are studying the effects of saltwater intrusion on native flora and fauna.

Latest Application: Hydrocat-180 USV

Seafloor System's newest unmanned surface vessel—the Hydrocat-180—features Ouster's OS1 lidar, enabling reliable autonomous navigation while completing nearshore hydrographic survey missions. One of Hydrocat 180's first deployments was with Technovia and the Malaysian Navy to map nearshore environments, reducing human navigation errors and collision risks.

Why Ouster?

Across various environments, Seafloor relies on Ouster sensors for navigation, positioning, and obstacle avoidance. A key factor in choosing Ouster is the durability and reliability of its OS sensor suite, which has been extensively tested in real-world applications. For Seafloor, a crucial advantage of Ouster sensors is that they're not just used in R&D settings but are effectively deployed in actual customer operations.

Ouster Lidar: Built for Harsh Environments

High-Standard Design

Ouster's sensors are designed to the highest standards of reliability and robustness, featuring IP68/69K ratings (protection against water and dust ingress) and automotive-grade shock and vibration specifications. They're also tested for up to 30,000 hours of continuous operation, with an average product lifespan exceeding 100,000 hours. Moreover, Ouster's simplified digital lidar architecture reduces failure points from thousands in analog lidar to just two chips and one moving part. This inherent digital lidar advantage creates highly rugged and reliable lidar sensors.

Beyond Durability

To deliver measurable cost savings and efficiency gains for end customers through autonomous vessel operations, Seafloor Systems needed to meet several criteria, including industry-leading long-range navigation and obstacle avoidance to reduce the risk of high-cost collisions with critical and expensive infrastructure. Ouster's OS1 makes this possible.

Beyond the durability and reliability of OS sensors for navigation and obstacle avoidance, Seafloor Systems also appreciates Ouster's pre-existing IMU integration and the ability to easily adapt future sensors to established availability stacks.