The article discusses Kraken Robotics’ recognition as one of Marine Technology Reporter’s MTR 100 companies, highlighting the company’s growth from a small startup into a global leader in subsea sensors, batteries, robotic systems and survey services. Since its founding in 2012, Kraken has expanded to 266 employees worldwide and now develops technologies that support safer, more efficient and sustainable ocean operations.
The profile focuses on Kraken’s core technologies, beginning with KATFISH, the company’s high-speed, actively stabilized synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) system. KATFISH can operate at speeds of up to 10 knots while producing 3 cm × 3 cm constant-resolution imagery, allowing users to collect detailed seabed intelligence for mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveying and subsea inspections.
It also highlights Kraken’s SAS technology, a miniature interferometric synthetic aperture sonar designed for autonomous underwater vehicles. The system delivers high-resolution imaging and bathymetry simultaneously, making it suitable for a wide range of UUV platforms and enabling real-time processing of seabed data. A portable version of Kraken SAS can also be retrofitted onto existing man-portable UUVs without requiring recalibration, allowing operators to quickly adapt vehicles for different missions.
Another major focus is SeaPower, Kraken’s pressure-tolerant subsea battery technology. The article explains that SeaPower batteries can more than double the endurance of commercially available UUVs while maintaining the same battery payload volume. Their modular design allows batteries to be used individually or connected together to meet different vehicle power and voltage requirements, making them adaptable across multiple underwater platforms.
The article also showcases Kraken’s subsea survey capabilities, including its Sub-Bottom Imager (SBI) and Acoustic Corer technologies. These systems support applications such as depth of burial analysis, unexploded ordnance detection, offshore wind development, and foundation engineering, reinforcing Kraken’s position as a company delivering advanced solutions for both defence and commercial subsea markets.
Article: Marine Technology September 2024
