You’ve read about our sensors in space analog environments, placed near volcanoes, or buried deep in boreholes. Today we’re diving into a project that would send our sensors deep under the sea. Silicon Audio has teamed up with Subsea Data Systems on their development of Sensor Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunication (SMART) Cables by equipping each repeater with one of our seismometers. This technology will revolutionize our ability to detect early warnings of tsunamis and earthquakes, global monitoring of the climate, as well as improve ways to monitor fiber cables for increased critical information resiliency. Check out Subsea Data Systems’ website to learn more about SMART Cables and their mission. 

The Silicon Audio team traveled to the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory to test sensors in one of the quiet vaults at the facility. For the initial testing of our prototype, we developed a sensor with an integrated digitizer for this SMART system by taking our digital system and combining it as the single package shown below.  

For this project we wanted a low noise omnitilt sensor since there will be no way of controlling the orientation of the sensors while deploying these cables to the seafloor. Using insights gained from working on our NASA projects, we adjusted the optics to create a lower noise omnitilt sensor that will work with any tilt up to 180 degrees.   

We hope to deploy these sensors in the future, and until then, we will be undergoing a series of tests to validate the design of this sensor package. As we venture deeper into uncharted waters, we invite you to stay tuned for more updates on the future of seismic exploration.