The team will be integrating an Imagenex OEM Side Scan Sonar System into the AUV. The sonar unit is capable of transmitting in three separate frequency bands and has an image pixel resolution of 1cm.

The Wracksweeper AUV will transmit its location at the surface over the Iridium satellite network. In case of a power failure the satellite beacon has an isolated backup power supply.

By developing a custom battery pack, the Wracksweeper AUV will be able to gather survey data for up to 10 hours at a time.

Using a 900 MHz ISM band radio modem will allow the AUV to communicate to a shore base station from up to 20km away.

A separate payload computer will be added to allow for on-board data processing and control of the side scan sonar. The small, yet powerful, Beaglebone Black was selected as the single board computer of choice.

New open source software will be developed to implement the new hardware with the MOOS-IvP framework. The software source code will be made public to allow other organizations to use and improve on the teams work.