Black Swan: Modular Precision for Inland and Sheltered Water Surveys.
Black Swan is a compact, modular survey platform designed for inland and sheltered water environments. Built around a lightweight carbon fibre chassis supported by inflatable sponsons, it offers flexible mounting configurations for multibeam echosounders (MBES), LiDAR sensors, acquisition pods, cameras, and control systems.
Powered by onboard lithium-ion batteries, Black Swan delivers full-day operational endurance without the need for battery swaps—supporting efficient, uninterrupted data collection.
Its four-vector thruster propulsion system enables precise dynamic positioning, allowing for both fine manoeuvring around structures and transit speeds of up to 6 knots for broad-area mapping. Sensitive control inputs ensure accurate navigation across varied survey conditions.
A key feature is its controllable transducer mounting system, which allows real-time adjustment of sonar draft and roll angle. This ensures optimal survey geometry, maximising coverage and data density while minimising overlap gaps between sonar and laser datasets at the waterline.
Positioning and motion referencing are handled by a high-precision RTK GPS-enhanced inertial navigation system (INS), with optional integration of robotic total stations for operation in areas with limited sky visibility.
Ultrabeam are a multi-award winning, dynamic and agile hydrographic survey company based in the UK. Backed by decades of experience and with recent projects successfully completed throughout the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia we’re ready to deploy our team and unique equipment wherever your next challenging project takes you.
Backed by decades of experience with projects successfully completed throughout the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia we’re ready to deploy our team and unique equipment wherever your next challenging project takes you.
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