Dutch tech scaleup Optics11 has launched an underwater monitoring system that makes use of gentle waves to “pay attention” for the presence of overseas objects.
Referred to as OptiBarrier, the system can detect enemy submarines, drones, and floor vessels from as much as 150km away — with out revealing its personal place.
“We pay attention with gentle,” the corporate’s CEO, Paul Heiden, instructed TNW. “Which means our expertise is totally undetectable and might’t be jammed.”
The usual methodology for listening underwater is thru electromagnetic fields. Units emit electromagnetic pulses and detect the presence of an object, equivalent to a ship or submarine, based mostly on the waves that bounce again. That works, nevertheless it’s detectable to enemy vessels and might be jammed.
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OptiBarrier takes a special method. Sound waves — equivalent to these from a passing ship or submarine — trigger tiny strain modifications within the underwater fibre optic sensors, altering how the sunshine strikes.
These minute modifications are transmitted by way of cable to land. There, specialised software program interprets the disturbances, turning photonic pulses into significant acoustic knowledge.
In accordance with Heiden, the system routinely compares the noise to an intensive army database of vessel sounds. “From the sound sample alone, we will typically inform what sort of ship is approaching. In some circumstances, we will determine the precise make and mannequin,” he mentioned.
That degree of intelligence might give navies and coastal authorities a serious tactical benefit, providing early warnings of approaching threats whereas remaining invisible to the enemy.
OptiBarrier has already been examined on the Seabed Safety Experimentation Centre (SeaSEC) in The Hague, Netherlands. The corporate plans to roll it out in Europe first, however is hush-hush concerning the timeline.
The system launches amid rising issues over maritime safety. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, fears have intensified over the vulnerability of subsea infrastructure equivalent to subsea cables, offshore wind farms, and fuel pipelines.
The battle and broader geopolitical tensions are pushing European governments to spend money on maritime defence tech, together with deploying autonomous ocean surveillance drones and constructing new submarines.
Optics11 has additionally developed a second product, OptiArray, tailor-made particularly for submarines and underwater drones. Utilizing the identical fibre optic expertise, this model is designed not for the seafloor however as an antenna mounted straight on the vessel’s exterior. It permits these underwater automobiles to detect close by threats whereas remaining utterly undetectable themselves.
The Royal Netherlands Navy is already testing OptiArray, and plans to combine it into its new class of submarines, set for roll-out in 2032.
