Kyocera demos multi-gigabit comms for underwater drones

"Kyocera has demonstrated underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) technology that achieved 5.2 Gbps in lab tests, targeting video feeds and sensor data for ocean exploration and underwater robotics. The Japanese corp aims to enable real-time, large-volume data transmission for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and drones used in marine surveys, structural inspections, and resource exploration. Underwater communication faces significant challenges: acoustic systems manage only a few Kbps, while radio frequency delivers a few Mbps at short range."

"The system Kyocera tested is currently limited to short distances, however, the company is aiming to extend the range and achieve higher data rates with ongoing research. In laboratory tests using freshwater, the research team successfully transmitted data at 5.2 Gbps. The trials were conducted in an offshore saltwater environment over distances of 15 cm to 1.5 m, with moderate water turbidity, to evaluate system stability and performance under various conditions."

"The system uses gallium nitride (GaN) blue semiconductor lasers, and Kyocera has developed an optical front-end circuit with a wide bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz, which - we're told - enables significantly more data throughput than other underwater comms methods. A spokesperson said it developed an algorithm to make full use of the wide bandwidth characteristics of the device, which is how it achieved a transmission rate of 5.2 Gbps."

Kyocera's UWOC system uses gallium nitride (GaN) blue semiconductor lasers and an optical front-end circuit with bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz. Laboratory freshwater tests transmitted data at 5.2 Gbps; a commercialization team achieved 750 Mbps and up to 1 Gbps in harsher marine conditions. Offshore saltwater trials over 15 cm to 1.5 m with moderate turbidity assessed stability and performance. Acoustic underwater links offer only a few Kbps, radio frequency a few Mbps at short range, and VLF radio about 300 bits per second for submerged long-distance communication. An algorithm exploits the wide bandwidth to increase throughput, but PHY specifications lack mechanisms to handle environmental variability like light scattering and absorption; extending range remains a development goal.

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