Research and Development Projects

SAES is a company committed to Research, Development and Innovation in the underwater environment. Most of our products have been completely developed in Spain by own engineers and resources, without external technological dependence. In addition, SAES contributes to technology transfer presenting their products at major international events and fairs and collaborating with several organisms and companies.

At the forefront of underwater signal processing.

Innovation is understood transversely and as a lever of business. Therefore, innovation is applied not only to the technological issues but also to the management and other business dimensions.

By innovation and using the latest technologies, SAES solutions are high-quality and high-performance products.

The aim is to create more valuable solutions for our clients and contribute to knowledge development.

SDHS: Smart Digital hydrophone system.

The SDHS project is aimed to the design and development of a last generation underwater acoustic measurement system, applicable both to the defence and civilian sectors. The system is particularly addressed to: acoustic influence measurements on underwater and surface platforms, underwater acoustic noise measurements in accordance to Descriptor 11 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and measurements to detect both vessels and marine mammals.
 
The system is developed in a double configuration: attended by an operator, in which the Control Unit is developed and is in charge of the communications with the Underwater Unit and of the recording, processing and visualization of the received acoustic signals and an autonomous configuration, which permits us the programming of the acoustic measurements to be performed in an autonomous way during long periods of time.
 
SDHS has been granted in the 2017 Research and Development projects call from CDTI and is co-funded with European ERDF funds. The project extends until end of March 2018. It is developed in the Region of Murcia and its budget is of 222.650 €.
 

 

National and international consortiums.

Currently SAES is part of three consortiums created to develop R&D&I projects: SIRAMIS in the international scope and UNDIGEN+ and OCEAN MASTER in the domestic scope.

First of all, the OCEAN MASTER project (Multi-purpose Autonomous Vehicle for different environments and roles) is focused on the development of a multi-mission unmanned vehicle, with a modular configuration and capacity to carry out missions in highly complex and demanding environments. This vehicle is conceived to be adapted to all kind of naval platforms by means an own deployment-and-transport system.

SAES’ participation in OCEAN MASTER centers in two aspects: the payload of the vehicle and the acoustic communications between vehicles or between a vehicle and surface. A Side Scan Sonar (SSS) is included into the vehicle as payload in order to perform bottom surveys and surveillance of channels and harbour accesses. Also a Diver Detection Sonar (DDS) is included to detect both divers and objects in underwater. As communication system, an acoustic data link is used to allow the interchange of commands and data.

OCEAN MASTER has been selected in the FEDER Innterconecta 2015 call and is co-funded by CDTI (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) and FEDER funds, throughout the Operational Programme for Smart Growth 2014-2020. It is developed in the regions of: Andalucia, Galicia, Madrid and Murcia by a consortium composed of the companies: ELINCO, AISTER, GHENOVA and AID, besides SAES. The end of the project is scheduled for Mars 2018 and its overall budget is of 2.138.782 €.

Another project, named SIRAMIS (Signature Response Analysis on Multi-influence MINES), is focused to improve the understanding of the interaction between vessels and multi-influence sensors in relevant and realistic environments.

During the first phase of the project, a database of measured multi-influence signatures of merchant vessels has been developed, as well as the analysis of these signatures. Furthermore, the influence of the environmental conditions in the propagation of the different radiations has been studied.

The project has been developed in the scope of the European Defence Agency (EDA), and governmental entities and firms of 7 nations – France, Holland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden- have participated. It ranged from March 2012 to July 2015.

SIRAMIS Phase 2 is expected to the beginning of 2018, with the participation of entities of 5 nations: Holland, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain and aimed to: the definition of a common format for data storing and improved calibration methods for signature measurement, more in-depth analysis of the signatures from the first phase in the scope of correlation and the development or improvement and evaluation of environmental effects and signature prediction models.

The UNDIGEN+ (Wave Power Generation Systems) project is focused on the use of the wave-based electric generation technology on an autonomous way, as a platform for the installation of equipments to measure the marine environment and particularly of an adaptation of the SIMOAC system to be developed by SAES with capacity of measuring the underwater acoustic noises and their later analysis. The consortium that develops the project is integrated, besides SAES, by WEDGE Global, CIEMAT and PLOCAN and its duration is of 24 months.

UNDIGEN+ was selected in the 2014 Collaboration Challenges-call, making part of the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016 (record RTC-2014-2156-3) and the project is subsidised by the Economy and Competitiveness Department of Spanish Government.

 Collaboration with universities and research centers.

In order to develop R&D&I projects, SAES collaborates with several universities and research centers. For instance the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), the University of Murcia (UMU), the University of Malaga (UMA) and the University of Cantabria (UNICAN), the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), as well as the Naval Technology and Sea Center (CTN), of which SAES is a founding member.