Container ship

Making waves on and under the water’s surface

Movella pioneered the first motion tracking solutions in the marine industry. Since then, the need for motion tracking in maritime applications has increased significantly. Underwater robotics, marine surveyor systems, autonomous boats, heavy compensating cranes, and virtual anchors need to operate in sturdy and rough weather conditions as well as salt- and fresh-water influences.

Underwater robot

Navigating the challenges

Above and below the water’s surface, orientation and positioning can be challenging, due to:

 

  • The absence of GNSS signals beneath the surface
  • Distortion of the Earth’s magnetic field by metal, heavy machinery, and power electronics
  • The harsh environment: salt water, mechanical shocks and continuous wave motion
  • Poor visibility
  • Absent or weak signals
Surface & underwater robotics

Applications

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Beneath the surface

Our attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) solutions provide accurate and reliable 3D orientation data with a small form factor and low power consumption, making them the right fit for small AUVs, ROVs, and subsea measurement tools.

 

The onboard sensor fusion algorithms keep track of roll, pitch, and absolute heading even during quick maneuvers and despite the presence of magnetic disturbances. Additionally, Movella provides calibration software for magnetic disturbances that are present continuously.

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Above the surface

Our vertical reference unit (VRU) and inertial navigation system (GNSS/INS) solutions can be used in a variety of applications. They provide calibrated IMU data and real-time estimates of 3D orientation, velocity, and position. Our IP67/68-rated Motion Tracker industrial-grade (MTi) are robust, easily installed, and highly cost-effective compared to traditional motion reference units. They’ve been known to go 24/7 for years, without the need for recalibration.

 

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Fully configurable motion trackers

Our motion trackers are fully configurable and can provide your (robotic) platform with any data combination, including:

 

  • 3D angular velocity
  • (free) acceleration
  • magnetic field
  • orientation
  • temperature
  • barometric pressure
  • position, velocity, and status

 

Compared to standard IMUs, Movella provides motion trackers that are fully calibrated for a wide variety of sensor characteristics, including – but not limited to – sensor bias, temperature, non-linearity and misalignment.

 

Available with various hardware interfaces (e.g., CAN, RS232, I2C, SPI, UART, USB) and NMEA output messages.

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How Xsens technology can help

Autonomous vehicles must know where they are and where they’re going, at all times. Xsens motion tracking solutions enable this level of autonomy.

 

That’s why many customers in this market rely heavily on our magnetic immune algorithms, which allow Xsens-enabled systems to hold a heading without a compass. The form factor tends to be less demanding in this field, with ample space allowing for larger – and therefore generally less costly – motion tracking solutions.

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Innok Robotics uses sophisticated sensor fusion to locate AGVs in outdoor space

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Resources