Autonomous Navigation – With Or Without GNSS

Autonomous Navigation – with or without GNSS Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav was used on a SEA-KIT X class for DASA demonstration project. Photo from Sonardyne. SPRINT-Nav trails for USV navigation was pitched against local GNSS RTK. Image from Sonardyne. Use of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) as operational tools in their own right is gaining increasing traction. From harbour patrol to offshore wind operations, USVs and autonomous shipping are seen as an opportunity to reduce cost, risk to humans and our carbon footprints. But they don’t come without challenges. Because they’re unmanned and require control remotely, we are even more reliant on having accurate navigation systems onboard and currently that largely rests on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).