New Delhi, February 25 The Department of Science's Technology Development Board (TDB) signed an agreement with Kochi-based automation machinery manufacturing company Xalten Systems on Wednesday to develop hydrophone-array sensor systems capable of enabling reliable, high-bandwidth communication—including real-time video transmission—between autonomous underwater platforms.
The system will be developed in collaboration with Singapore-based Subnero Pte Ltd, which specializes in solutions for underwater wireless networked communications. Supported by the TDB, the project will be known as "Development of High-Performance Acoustic Antenna System for Underwater High Data Rate Communication for Video Transmission."
"With the increasing deployment of autonomous underwater vehicle swarms for offshore energy operations, deep-sea exploration, marine research, and strategic applications, the demand for robust, high-data-rate underwater communication systems has become urgent. Existing global solutions… largely focus on long-range, low-bandwidth communication built on legacy architectures," an official said.
As a result, there has been a critical technology gap in underwater acoustic communication that the acoustic antenna system aims to address. The system will comprise precision acoustic sensor arrays and software-defined communication frameworks, providing real-time collaboration, navigation, and data sharing across marine robotic systems.
In a statement, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, secretary of the TDB, said, "Advanced underwater communication systems are critical for India's maritime research, offshore infrastructure, and strategic sectors."
"Through this Indo-Singapore joint proposal, the TDB is supporting the development and commercialization of high-performance indigenous acoustic technologies that can position India as a key player in the emerging blue economy, while strengthening international technology partnerships for mutual growth," he said.