ViperFish

Supplier:: EIVA
Product no :: E.VF

Survey hard to reach areas – even over-the horizon

ViperFish is an all-in-one ROTV system tailored to provide high-resolution data collection in autonomous USV operations. With its high stability, 3D steering and automation, it is ideal for surveying narrow areas where a precisely steered sensor platform is needed to safely stay close to the seabed.

High-resolution imaging and precise positioning

ViperFish can be equipped with several high-quality sensor options. Depending on the configuration you choose, this sensor platform is mission-ready for applications such as offshore energy seabed mapping; geophysical site inspections (UXO); subsea pipe/cable inspections; and defence (mine countermeasures, rapid environmental assessment, Intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance).

Automate your ROTV operations for optimal results and enabling autonomy

ViperFish optimises data collection. It is designed for minimal drag, resulting in a low energy cost of operations. The sensor platform is highly stable with a design that stays horizontal at all times and minimises turbulence through laminar flow.

To further optimise operations, this ROTV features a high degree of automation. Like the ScanFish ROTV range, ViperFish can automatically maintain a fixed height from the seabed, avoid obstacles at a user-defined range and follow vertical and horizontal runlines. You can upgrade your setup with a dedicated winch, optimised for USV operations.

To automate all steps from runline planning to processing, users of EIVA’s industry-leading survey software toolbox, NaviSuite, can leverage the software suite’s streamlined integration with ViperFish’s control software – for example with Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode, which uses MBES data (real-time or pre-survey) for early warning to achieve smoother obstacle avoidance.

Please note: Pricing is according to which sensors you choose to equip on ViperFish. Reach out to discuss what setup best meets your needs and get a quote.

This product is subject to export control, which may delay/hinder delivery to some countries, and may be subject to restrictions if re-exported.

This product is also available for rent

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Cutting a long autonomous survey story short: What you get
Diving into the details of how ViperFish will provide high-quality data collection during manned or unmanned survey operations.
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Cutting a long autonomous survey story short: What you get
Diving further into the details of how ViperFish will improve your manned or unmanned UXO (unexploded ordnance) surveys, MCM (mine-countermeasures), hydrographic operations and more
Keep sensors at the sweet spot
… with the robust, stable 3D steering capability keeping your ROTV at a fixed height from the seafloor
Stable data collection and low energy usage
… through the low-drag design which stays horizontal thanks to the active flaps and reduces the turbulence on the ROTV through laminar flow
Streamlined survey autonomy
… by using Flight software to display/control the position of ViperFish, perform obstacle avoidance and define your sailing route – which is as simple as selecting the area you would like to survey
High quality, adaptable payload
… with the sensors available including Wavefront Solstice MAS/EdgeTech 2205 SSS, R2Sonic MBES, OFG Hypermags Sonardyne SPRINT-Nav Mini and more
Easy deployment from any vessel
ViperFish can be deployed by any vessel 8 m or longer. Learn how EIVA helps make it easy to deploy this ROTV from small vessels.
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Easy deployment from any vessel
ViperFish can be deployed by any vessel 8 m or longer. When deployed by eg catamaran-type USVs, the ViperFish can maintain a fixed positions between pontoons and stay in water during transfers. By single hull USVs, the ViperFish can be deployed and recovered with an A-frame.
ViperFish has its own dedicated winch, for which you can adjust the level wind / cable exit angle to suit your setup. For fully autonomous operations, this winch can be interfaced to NaviSuite Flight, the same flight software which steers the ViperFish.
High-quality versatile sensor payload and components
Dive into the sensor payload configurations, standard components, software and service options.
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High-quality versatile sensor payload – dive into the components
The ViperFish is ready to deploy any and all of the below sensors. Pricing accordingly.
Imaging
Multi-aperture sidescan sonar – Wavefront Solstice or
Sidescan sonar – EdgeTech 2205
Multi-beam echo sounder – R2Sonic 2020
Magnetometer – OFG RM HyperMag
Positioning
USBL transponder – Sonardyne WSM 6+ 1K MF Omni Directional Assembly
INS (Inertial Navigation System), AHRS (Attitude and heading reference system), DVL (Doppler Velocity Log), pressure sensor – all in one – Sonardyne SPRINT-Nav Mini
Sound velocity sensor – Valeport MiniSVS
Components of the ROTV
Purchase of ViperFish ROTV includes...
Transportation box, heat-treated, water-resistant plywood
Termination
Altimeter, motion and depth sensors
NaviSuite Flight control and monitoring software
2U 19" rack-mount topside power and communications unit
Deck cable 30 m
Optional extras
Software add-ons
NaviSuite Kuda – Pro + Processing (hydrographic survey) or NaviSuite Nardoa (pipe/cable inspection)
NaviSuite Kuda – Autopilot for USV remote control
Hardware add-ons
USBL – Sonardyne Mini-Ranger 2
Dedicated winch – optimised for small vessels thanks to low weight, adjustable exit angle and support for single phase power
Tow cable (choose from a variety of faired cable options to further reduce drag)
Services
ViperFish & NaviSuite software mobilisation support & onsite training
Solstice mobilisation support & onsite training
A shipwreck surveyed with ViperFish ROTV, data displayed is MAS & RM Hypermag (left), MAS (center) and MBES (right)
Avoid obstacles more smoothly than ever
This autopilot flight mode uses your vessel’s echo sounder data as an early warning system to avoid obstacles while keeping sensors stable.
See it in action
Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode
Avoid obstacles more smoothly than ever through automated real-time calculations – this flight mode uses your vessel’s echo sounder data as an early warning system to avoid obstacles while keeping sensors stable.

Video showing the Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode in action, making an ROTV avoid steep obstacles on the seabed more smoothly than it would have if it were using only the ROTV altimeter sensor for obstacle avoidance – thereby achieving stability for optimal sensor performance
The Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode optimises your vertical runlines based on a DTM (online and/or pre-surveyed). The main advantages are…
It ensures smooth obstacle avoidance, so your data collection isn’t disturbed by any sudden movements of the ROTV, which could otherwise occur if there is a large, steep obstacle, such as a boulder. This is because the altimeter sensor onboard the ROTVwould register the obstacle when closer to it, causing the ROTV to move quickly out of the way to avoid it. On the other hand, with the Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode, the ROTV can react ahead of time thanks to an early warning from the DTM, and therefore you have the option to make it do avoid obstacles more smoothly over time.
You minimise risks to your ROTV by not only reliably predicting obstacles and avoiding them (as the ROTV already does) but also customising how you avoid them, so your ROTV’s vertical steering is tailored to your specific ROTV configuration (with this new mode, you can customise the area in which obstacles are avoided and the slope with which the ROTV avoids them.

The area highlighted in yellow is the corridor in which objects are considered relevant obstacles to be avoided using the Vessel-Aided Terrain Follow mode – and the two yellow spheres below the ScanFish model show the correction to the vertical route
Stay safe with a failsafe
This new steering mode is doubly designed to avoid any harm to your ROTV. The EIVA team has equipped it with a failsafe function for the unlikely case of a malfunction in the setup causing your ROTV to receive erroneous data from the synthetic altimeter calculated by NaviPac. An error in the synthetic altimeter can occur for example if you are using a pre-surveyed DTM which is outdated, as a new obstacle has appeared since then. In such a case, the priority will always be given to the minimum height registered by the altimeter mounted on your ROTV.
Easy integration with your ROTV
This automated steering mode is available for all EIVA ROTV systems. In addition to your vessel and any model of EIVA ROTV, this steering mode uses the following components…
Multi-beam echo sounder on the vessel which is towing the ROTV (optional as you can alternatively use pre-surveyed DTMs):
Acquires seabed data to create a real-time DTM
NaviSuite Kuda Pro, EIVA’s hydrographic survey software solution (alternatively, if using a pre-surveyed DTM, you can use NaviPac Pro or NaviPac Single User):
Collects multi-beam echo sounder data and creates a DTM in real time – or displays a historical DTM
Calculates your ROTV’s optimal vertical route based on the DTM and your settings for obstacle avoidance
Inputs synthetic altimeter values to your NaviSuite Flight software so you follow this route