Case Study: JM Robotics achieves accurate acoustic heading for small ROVs with Advanced Navigation Subsonus USBL2

Subsonus USBL2 Technology Accelerates JM Robotics Small-Scale ROV Program With Accurate Acoustic Heading

JM Robotics, a Norwegian ROV specialist, needed a compact navigation solution for a small, lightweight HD3 ROV used to inspect buried pipelines in shallow, noisy water with poor visibility, strong currents, and magnetic interference from ferrous pipes. The company turned to Advanced Navigation’s Subsonus USBL2 technology to provide accurate acoustic heading and absolute positioning without relying on magnetometers or costly fibre-optic gyros.

Advanced Navigation implemented Subsonus in a USBL2 “acoustic compass” configuration, combining INS, GNSS, acoustic data transfer, and DVL input to deliver stable navigation and reliable geo-referencing for the ROV and surface vessel. The result was a commercially viable, cost-effective system that improved piloting, maintained performance in harsh conditions, and gave JM Robotics the accuracy and confidence needed to deliver full pipeline cathodic protection survey data.

JM Robotics

Johan Hellstrøm

Technical Manager