Kraken Announces Ultra High Definition Gap Filler

Combined Acoustic and Laser Gap Fill Solution Ideal for Mine Hunting

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador, July 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX-V: PNG, OTCQB: KRKNF), Canada’s Ocean Company, is pleased to announce the development of an innovative gap filler solution for unmanned underwater vehicles based on the company’s AquaPix Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) and SeaVision 3D laser scanner. This solution fills the nadir gap with ultra-high definition data. The gap filler will be available for customer implementation in Q4 2020.   

Leveraging our background in SAS and underwater laser imaging systems, Kraken has developed two integrated nadir gap-filling technologies:

• An acoustic gap reducer, based on Kraken’s AquaPix system, which drastically reduces the size of the nadir gap while maintaining full SAS resolution.
   
• An optical laser/camera gap filler, based on Kraken’s SeaVision system, which fills the remainder of the nadir gap with ultra-high-resolution optical imagery and laser bathymetry.

These gap filling technologies maximize the area coverage rate for high speed towed systems, such as Kraken’s KATFISH, as well as autonomous underwater vehicles.

In mine warfare, it is well known that the probability of detecting and classifying a target increases with improving image resolution.  NATO criteria show that the probability of correct classification is directly proportional to the number of pixels displayed per target.  Any resolution coarser than 5 cm produces an unacceptably high rate of false alarms.  Furthermore, high resolution must be achieved across the entire swath and in both the along track and across track directions simultaneously because a mine may be placed in any position or orientation relative to the sonar. SAS and optical sensors are the only technologies that can meet these requirements for high resolution survey applications while maintaining high area coverage rates.  Kraken’s SeaVision system collects 3D laser profiles and camera imagery simultaneously. The optical gap fill data can also be used for simultaneous in-stride target identification once a mine-like object has been detected and classified.