EPS - Home

What We Do

Developing and building state-of-the-art solutions for challenging problems faced by the U.S. Navy has been our core expertise for several decades.

Modern submarines host thousands of sensors that are used for tactical purposes and also to collect data that are subjected to later analysis such as mission reconstruction.

APL-UW is the implementing organization for the Pacific Northwest component of the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative: Regional Scale Nodes. This underwater cabled observatory will be installed off the Washington and Oregon coasts to span the Juan de Fuca plate. We are engineering leads for this high bandwidth, high power distribution system, and will also deliver the scientific instrument packages that connect to it. More >>

Expertise

Custom Recording Systems

We develop custom recording systems and also the interfaces between them and ship's sensors for every U.S. Navy submarine. We also develop the highly specialized signal processing tools used to analyze the collected data.

High-Definition Sonars

We have developed a new class of high-definition sonars used to inspect and identify objects in turbid water where optical systems fail and continue to explore applications for them. They can identify underwater intruders as part of harbor security, and can be deployed on remotely operated submersibles where they can scan for objects of interest. The sonars are even being used to count migrating salmon by fisheries researchers.

DIDSON high-definition sonar images: fish (L) and stingrays (R)

Photonics

Photonics is the use of light to acquire, transfer and store data of all types. Systems operating with light are expected to replace many electronic devices in the future. Researchers are developing fiber optic modulators and switches based on organic electro-optic polymer materials. We are also working on spectroscopic identification of materials using terahertz radiation.

Gary Harkins, EPS Department Director

What's New?

Visions'11 Cruise

Our engineers participated in VISIONS'11, a major research cruise aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. Their work prepared for installation of the Regional Scale Nodes underwater cabled observatory (part of NSF’s Ocean Observatories Initiative). View the excellent graphics and real-time underwater video collected by remotely operated vehicle ROPOS. Areas of exploration included the Oregon Margin at Hydrate Ridge and Axial Volcano, more than 200 miles off the Washington coast. More >>

Detecting IEDs

APL-UW conducts basic scientific research to increase the predictive capabilities of counter-IED efforts and to detect IEDs at distance and speed before they can cause harm. More >>

Photonics Research

Senior Engineer and Affiliate Associate Professor Antao Chen's photonics group is engaged in multidisciplinary research on advanced fiber optic materials and devices to address the bandwidth needs of the future. More >>

XRay Flying Wing Glider

Principal Engineer and Affiliate Associate Professor Jim Luby leads the Laboratory's team in developing the large undersea glider in partnership with Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More >>

In the News

Getting ready for the world's largest underwater observatory

KUOW Radio, Ashley Ahearn

17 Apr 2013

The Regional Cabled Observatory is a $239 million project funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal: to better understand and monitor the depths of the Pacific Ocean — from volcanic eruptions to deep-sea earthquakes that could lead to tsunamis.

Preparing to install the world's largest underwater observatory

UW News and Information, Hannah Hickey

15 Apr 2013

The National Science Foundation in 2009 launched the $239 million effort led by John Delaney, UW professor of oceanography, to create a cabled observatory that will bring power and Internet to the ocean floor. This new concept will use remote-controlled instruments and high-bandwidth video to create an enduring, real-time presence in the deep ocean.

UW leads ambitious effort to monitor the ocean

The Seattle Times, Theodoric Meyer

7 Sep 2012

A group of University of Washington scientists spent part of the summer wiring the ocean floor to monitor ocean events in real time, a project expected to be completed in 2014. APL-UW engineers explain the challenging environments of the deep sea and active seafloor volcanoes that must be addressed.