Quadroin AUV

About

● The EvoLogics Quadroin is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed for high-resolution side-scan sonar and camera surveys.

Its bionic, penguin-inspired hull combines hydrodynamic efficiency with high maneuverability, allowing speeds of up to 10 knots while maintaining low energy consumption for extended subsea operations.

The Quadroin autonomously executes pre-programmed missions, collecting data along its waypoint grid. It is equipped with a side-scan sonar, a downward-looking full-HD camera, and an AI-based object recognition module for detailed visual documentation and detection of submerged assets.

A network of surface gateways enables precise navigation and seamless mission awareness - with live trajectory and status updates wirelessly available to the operator onshore.

Compact and easy to handle, the Quadroin streamlines operations, reduces deployment time, and provides a professional platform for underwater data collection – equally effective as a standalone tool or as part of a coordinated multi-vehicle network.

Quadroin AUV

Key Features

Underwater view of a white and yellow submersible vehicle with thrusters, near the water surface.

High-precision surveying

The Quadroin is equipped with a side-scan sonar and a downward-looking full-HD camera, combined with AI-based object recognition for detailed subsea imaging and detection of assets in side-scan and video feeds. To collect data, the vehicle runs in supervised autonomy mode along a pre-programmed grid covering the area to be surveyed.

Yellow and white underwater drone floating just below the water surface with a clear blue sky above.

Mission Awareness and Control

The vehicle remains connected - both above and beneath the surface, providing operators with comprehensive awareness and control through all stages of the mission. Before the dive, the vehicle’s collapsible multi-antenna receives GNSS fixes and establishes wireless links to the control station. During the mission, an acoustic connection to a surface gateway - a stationary USBL Buoy, a mobile Sonobot 5 USV or a USBL-equipped vessel - provides GNSS locks with acoustic positioning fixes and relays the vehicle status to shore. Through the acoustic link, operators can adjust waypoints, upload modified mission parameters, interrupt or abort the mission, and initiate automated recovery procedures. After resurfacing, all collected data is available for wireless download and post-mission analysis.

Aerial map view showing drone flight paths over a body of water near a wooded shoreline, with distance and time metrics, and labeled points for 'Me,' 'Plane,' and 'quadroin-1'.

Advanced navigation with live status updates

Carrying an acoustic modem, the vehicle combines inertial dead-reckoning navigation with intermittent USBL/LBL positioning fixes for periodical GNSS locks from surface gateways. During the mission, trajectory and status updates are available at the operator’s station through a wireless link to the gateway.

Sonar image showing underwater rock formations with a small airplane detected and highlighted in a red box.

AI-powered onboard processing

Runs directly on the vehicle, analyzing side-scan sonar and video camera feeds to detect various object classes in real time during the mission. Through the acoustic link, detection type and location are transmitted to the control station for immediate evaluation, with all detections included in the full dataset for detailed post-mission analysis.

Underwater view of several torpedo-shaped underwater drones moving through dark water towards the surface.

Cooperative multi-vehicle networks

The Quadroin can be configured to operate as part of joint multi-vehicle missions - coordinated Quadroins AUVs, Sonobot USVs, and EvoLogics Diver Navigation System units networked with surface gateways into a hybrid robot/diver taskforce. With Quadroin’s updates on detected objects, divers can be directed towards the discoveries for on-site assessment, enabling efficient, time-saving inspections.

Underwater view of a white and black underwater scooter emitting bubbles as it moves.

High-speed performance and efficient operation

The Quadroin’s penguin-inspired spindle-shaped hull minimizes drag and maximizes efficiency. The vehicle reaches speeds of up to 10 knots while maintaining exceptional maneuverability and low energy consumption, making the AUV suitable for both short survey missions and longer, data-intensive deployments.

Person on a boat operating a remote-controlled orange underwater drone in dark, choppy water.

Easy to handle, easy to find

Lightweight and compact, the Quadroin can be carried by a single person, transported in a car trunk, and launched quickly in the field - from vessels or platforms of any size. Before or after the mission, the vehicle can be manually steered with a remote control to reach the start or recovery point. Once resurfaced, the AUV is clearly visible over water thanks to bright LEDs and flashing lights, so its recovery is straightforward.

Quadroin AUV

Vehicle payload

The Quadroin platform is equipped with an integrated payload including sonar and imaging systems, acoustic and radio communication units, GNSS antenna, as well as onboard AI to detect subsea objects and ensure effective, collision-free autonomous operation.

Quadroin AUV

Surface gateway

Yellow scientific buoy floating on calm lake water reflecting scattered clouds and a distant tree-lined shoreline.

Quadroin AUV

Surface Gateway Options

The gateway serves as a central surface node, enabling acoustic positioning and communication with the Quadroin throughout the mission. It exchanges acoustic signals with the vehicle, computes its georeferenced position fixes, and transmits them back to enhance the Quadroin’s inertial navigation with intermittent GNSS corrections. Through WiFi or long-range radio links, the gateway relays position data and status updates from the Quadroin to the control station - ensuring consistent mission awareness.

Depending on operational needs, the gateway can be deployed as a stationary or mobile surface node - or as a hybrid network to cover extensive survey areas.

Quadroin AUV

Applications

The Quadroin is designed to support a wide range of subsea operations, delivering a balance of speed, autonomy, and professional-grade sensors for diverse underwater tasks:

Aerial view of a busy shipping port with large cargo ships docked and cranes lining both sides of the waterway.

Critical infrastructure inspection

Surveying harbors, pipelines, cables, and offshore installations with repeated patrols to detect changes in structural conditions or the surrounding environment.

Underwater scene showing abandoned fishing nets tangled on the ocean floor with small fish swimming around.

Environmental monitoring and scientific research

Collecting environmental data, surveying sensitive ecosystems, and detecting ghost gear to support research and conservation efforts.

Underwater view of a small sunken airplane with a sleek white underwater drone tethered above it.

Hydrography

Seabed mapping for navigation, port management, coastal engineering, and environmental impact assessments.

Black spherical buoy floating underwater above aquatic plants on the sandy seafloor.

Hazard detection and security operations

Identifying dangers such as mines and unexploded ordnance, supporting both civil and military security applications.

Aerial view of two dolphins swimming next to a large circular fish farm net in dark blue ocean water.

Offshore operations

Monitoring fish farms, subsea construction and dredging sites to support maintenance, safety, and operational efficiency.

Scuba diver underwater swimming alongside a small yellow and white underwater drone releasing bubbles.

Search, rescue, and emergency support

Capturing side-scan and video data with AI object recognition for search and rescue and emergency response missions.

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Marine archaeology

Surveying wreck and archaeological sites to support documentation, research, and preservation efforts

Quadroin AUV

Technical Specifications

Quadroin AUV

Quadroin design - bionic background

Man in a red jacket and blue headband holding a penguin near a body of water.

EvoLogics’ founder, Dr. Rudolf Bannasch, has studied Adélie penguins and their exceptional swimming efficiency since the 1980s, conducting field research in Antarctica alongside extensive wind tunnel and water tank experiments. His findings showed that spindle-shaped flow bodies modeled after penguins achieve extremely low drag coefficients in water.

These bionic design principles first materialized in the NaviMUM PingGuin AUV, developed by EvoLogics as part of the Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) R&D program. Demonstrated in 2020, the PingGuin incorporates a bionic, penguin-inspired spindle hull designed to minimize drag, with very few protruding components to maintain hydrodynamic efficiency. The vehicle was prototyped as a multifunctional communication node within the MUM system, capable of operating in a self-coordinated swarm to enable adaptable positioning and data relay scenarios.

The concept evolved further through collaboration with Prof. Burkard Baschek and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon - resulting in the first-generation Quadroins AUVs, built and tested in 2021. As part of the Helmholtz Association’s MOSES initiative, the first Quadroins were equipped with multiparameter probes to collect data on ocean eddies - scanning the water body layer by layer to collect geo-referenced data on the physical water parameters at different depth horizons.

Building on these foundations, EvoLogics advanced the Quadroin platform from prototypes to serial production with optimized internal layout, updated propulsion and navigation systems, and expanded payload capacity. The current Quadroin generation features a side-scan sonar, full-HD camera, and onboard AI-processing for object recognition and collision avoidance, with advanced communication and navigation systems supporting complex underwater operations.

The Quadroin platform is ready for cooperative, multi-vehicle operations and contributes to ongoing advances in smart autonomous marine technology.

Contact

Configuring your vehicle

Our experts can help you select the right combination of sensors, positioning and communication options to match the Quadroin configuration to your operational needs.

Get in touch and share your project requirements – let’s put together the optimal Quadroin system for your operations.

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Two men in neon yellow winter gear operate an underwater drone partially submerged in cold water, with snowy trees and sky in the background.