A light and sound integrated aerial sonar system for deep ocean studies

As we all know, the study of the ocean and its floor by existing technology is limited to only 5% of the total global waters. At present sonar is the primary contributor to existing underwater imagery, the water-based system is limited in spatial coverage due to its low imaging output. On the other hand, aerial synthetic aperture radar systems which has the capability of penetrating clouds have provided high-resolution imaging of the entire earth’s landscapes but are incapable of deep penetration into water.

Stanford University engineers Aidan Fitzpatrick, Ajay Singhvi and Amin Arbabian have developed an airborne method for imaging underwater objects by combining light and sound. The Airborne Sonar System could be installed beneath drones to enable aerial underwater surveys and high-resolution mapping of the deep ocean. Most underwater mapping has been achieved by attaching sonar systems to ships that sail a given region of interest. But this technique is slow and costly, and inefficient for covering large areas.

University engineers have expressed their hope and envisage  that their light and Sound integrated aerial sonar system one day being used to conduct drone-based biological marine surveys from the air, carry out large-scale aerial searches of sunken ships and planes, and map the ocean depths with a similar speed and level of detail as Earth’s landscapes.