Subnero

Subnero is a developer of wireless communication technology for underwater communications. This includes solutions such as software-defined underwater modems, a customizable network stack that is capable of adapting to a variety of environments, and autonomous robots. These can be used for underwater communications, navigation, monitoring, and sensing solutions for commercial deployments.

Example of a Subnero modem

Subnero's solutions include the company's hardware products, including the L5L acoustic modems and the M25M series acoustic modems. These products offer software-defined underwater modems for networking, navigation, and monitoring.

An underwater network stack, UnetStack is a flexible, agent-based network stack that allows software-defined underwater networks to be designed, simulated, tested, and deployed. The network runs on Subnero's modems and a host computer connected to the modem, which transfers the modem into a network node. UnetStack can further serve as a gateway to private terrestrial or satellite network, or else to the larger Internet.

The UnetStack is also composed of a collection of software agents that provide defined services. This framework is intended to provide separation of concern while allowing information to be shared, services to be provided, and behaviors to be negotiated between different agents. The UnetStack further defines commonly needed agents with services, messages, capabilities, and parameters, and is extensible, which allows agents to provide services that may be used by other agents for the development of network protocols.

Part of the UnetStack, UnetSim allows users to simulate underwater networks in order to allow network engineers to simulate the network on a computer and allow UnetStack agents and protocols to be simulated in realistic conditions. The simulator was designed to be easy to learn and use, and to allow agent implementations to be shared between deployment and simulation environments.

SWANs are low-cost, autonomous robotic swans that are capable of navigating autonomously, collecting water samples at different locations, analyzing them in the field, and uploading those results to a central server where a user can monitor the results. The SWANs can do simultaneous spatial data sampling in a cooperative and adaptive fashion to obtain statistical coverages, and are designed to need minimal logistical support when their tasks are completed.

The product and software tools offered by Subnero allow for solutions for various scenarios, including underwater communications and networking, underwater navigation, in-water monitoring and sensing, and other customized solutions.

Example of various modem configurations and their use in an IoT environment.

Subnero's underwater modem provides a platform for a variety of networks and applications. They allow users to create robust communication between underwater nodes as well as in new protocols and applications. The modems are offered in various configurations for different application needs, such as a surface configuration, a node configuration, and an embedded configuration. Each configuration offers different capabilities and would depend on the eventual deployment of the modem and the intended activities for the modem. The use of multiple different nodes in different configurations offers the capability of developing underwater IoT for various use cases.

The Subnero modems are also capable of being used in underwater navigation scenarios. They can be used for acoustic ranging, to form GPS-like infrastructure underwater, and to aid underwater vehicles in self-localization and communication. Further, the nodes can be equipped to act as beacons for position estimation and can relay information to allow vehicles to navigate and communicate with other vehicles over long distances. Once in the water, the nodes are capable of self-organizing into an Underwater Position Network (UPN), which can in turn be accessed by AUVs and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

Using the Subnero SWAN, users can monitor water quality. These units are capable of spatial and temporal water sampling with minimal manual support. Each unit is capable of autonomously executing operations provided by users and performing vertical profiling of the water column at points of interest.