The AUV is outfitted with an integrated sensor suite enabling precise navigation, advanced seabed mapping, and comprehensive environmental data collection. This configuration supports deep-water operations with a focus on accuracy, redundancy, and multi-mission capability. The following section provides a detailed technical overview of each sensor, including its function within the system architecture and its contribution to overall mission performance.
Technical diagram of The Childlike Empress by Schmidt Ocean Institute, 2025.
HUGIN's navigation system is inertial-based and supported by multiple onboard sensors and external inputs. It relies on the Sunstone navigation process, which runs on the AUV's Control Processor (CP), to compute position, velocity, and orientation in real time. The vehicle continuously receives input from its sensors, making constant adjustments to respond to dynamic terrain in order to execute the survey plan and maintain vehicle safety. The following sensors are used for both navigation and communication purposes.
Measures rotation and acceleration of the vehicle.
The cNODE beacon is used as part of the Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL) acoustic positioning system to enable precise real-time tracking and communication with the AUV during subsea operations. The cNODE transmits and receives acoustic signals to and from the AUV, allowing the vessel-mounted HiPAP transceiver to calculate the vehicle’s position relative to the ship. In addition to tracking, the cNODE facilitates acoustic communication by relaying low-bandwidth data packets between the AUV and topside users. This includes status updates, health information, and limited mission commands, which are transmitted acoustically to the ship and made available through the topside control interface, Hugin OS (HOS). This capability is especially critical during launch, recovery, and complex mission phases where continuous situational awareness and control are required. Depending on the depth of the mission, there are three different types of cNode beacon that can be installed on the AUV.
cNODE miniS beacons used in the HUGIN Superior USBL positioning system. Image courtesy of Kongsberg Maritime.