Riptide Integrates Sparton's AHRS Technology into UUVs

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Sparton Corporation announced the integration of their industry-leading Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) products on Riptide Autonomous Solutions unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). Riptide chose Sparton’s revolutionary AHRS M-series due to the product’s ability to deliver another level of navigation precision in a very small form factor at low cost.

Sparton’s next generation AHRS M-series products deliver industry leading heading accuracy as low as 0.2° RMS. The M-series are factory calibrated, fully temperature compensated, micro-sized, light weight, low power products with a revolutionary adaptive-calibration mode.

Sparton AdaptCal™ utilizes a proprietary calibration algorithm that provides continuous 3D adaptive in-field calibration with hard and soft magnetic interference compensation – continuously calibrating out the platform’s magnetic properties on heading accuracy.

The Riptide micro-UUV is a highly flexible open source autonomous undersea vehicle that provides users with a state-of-the-art development solution at an affordable cost. The micro-UUV is ideally suited for developers of autonomy and behaviors, power systems, subsea sensors, and new payloads. The open hardware and software interfaces provide users a reliable and robust platform to advance technology development. The vehicle design is optimized for high efficiency with the best hydrodynamic signature in its class.

With a base system price under $15,000, including the Sparton AHRS, the micro-UUV opens affordable UUV operations to any organization with undersea survey or science requirements. The micro-UUV has been delivered with sonar payloads, acoustic communications, 360-degree cameras, as well as flooded payload sections for custom end-user applications. These payloads illustrate the high degree of configuration flexibility designed into the micro-UUV and it is important to note that the Riptide micro-UUV with a side scan sonar is more affordable than the nearest competitive vehicles with less capable onboard AHRS sensors and without adaptive calibration.

“2016 was an exceptional growth year for us,” said Jeff Smith, Riptide’s President. “During 2016, Riptide built over two dozen systems and delivered systems to multiple military, academic and commercial customers. We added multiple new development program wins. These next generation AHRS sensors provide another level of navigation precision to the vehicle. Sparton’s adaptive-calibration also greatly enhances the operator’s experience and eliminates the need to perform complex calibration alignment procedures on a moving vessel at sea.”

“Sparton is excited to work with Riptide Autonomous Solutions,” said Jim Lackemacher, Group Vice President of the Engineered Components and Products Segment. “Like Riptide, Sparton aims to be disruptive in their efforts and technology. The AHRS M-series products are a game changer as no other MEMS-based inertial sensor system provides the full mission accuracy and performance with the M-series size.”

About Sparton Corporation

Sparton Corporation, now in its 117th year, is a provider of complex and sophisticated electromechanical devices with capabilities that include concept development, industrial design, design and manufacturing engineering, production, distribution, field service, and refurbishment. The primary markets served are Medical & Biotechnology, Military & Aerospace, and Industrial & Commercial. Headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, Sparton currently has thirteen manufacturing locations and engineering design centers worldwide.  

About Riptide

Riptide Autonomous Solutions is a small business focused on Unmanned Maritime Vehicle (UMV) development and production. Riptide’s flagship product is the µUUV a highly flexible, open source unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) that provides a state-of-the-art, low cost solution for operators and developers of UUVs.