KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

DVL A50

About

About DVL A50

DVL A50 uses four one-megahertz acoustic beams in a convex Janus arrangement to measure three-axis velocity relative to the seabed. It operates from approximately five centimetres to 50 metres above the bottom and returns velocity, altitude and validity information for navigation and station keeping.

The 170-gram unit consumes around four watts and is available with depth ratings of 300 or 600 metres. Ethernet and serial connections feed data to an ROV, AUV or diver-navigation computer, while a browser interface supports setup and diagnostics. Water-tracking mode can provide relative motion when the bottom is outside acoustic range.

30 AUG 2026

Robotics capital moves — 24–30 August 2026

Research

  • VIA-SLAM: An Underwater Visual-Inertial-Acoustic SLAM With Integrated DVL

    2025-05-19 - Research Publication - VIA-SLAM integrates stereo vision, inertial sensing and Water Linked DVL A50 measurements for underwater localization and mapping on newly collected ROV datasets.

    Source
  • SOLAQUA: SINTEF Ocean Large Aquaculture Robotics Dataset

    2025-04-02 - Research Publication - SOLAQUA releases multimodal underwater-robot data from an operational fish farm, including Water Linked DVL A50 position, velocity and net-relative estimates.

    Source
  • Graph Matching for Underwater Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Using Multibeam Sonar Imaging

    2024-10-17 - Research Publication - A BlueROV2 field platform combines a Water Linked DVL A50, Oculus M1200d sonar and IMU to validate graph-matching underwater SLAM in a silty river environment.

    Source
  • Semi-supervised Visual Tracking of Marine Animals Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

    2023-03-01 - Research Publication - A semi-supervised visual tracker is deployed on a compact autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with Water Linked DVL A50 for velocity, altitude and dead-reckoning support.

    Source

Timeline

  • Water Linked releases Water Tracking mode for DVLs

    2026-05-12 - Product Launch - Water Tracking estimates velocity relative to the water column when a DVL cannot obtain seabed bottom lock. The mode uses acoustic reflections approximately 1.5 to 4.5 metres below the instrument to support an inertial-navigation system. The free firmware update covers all DVL A50 and A125 units and is also available on the A100 and A250.

    Source
  • Water Linked DVL A50 incorporated into Boxfish autonomous underwater platforms

    2024-08-08 - Partnership - Boxfish integrated the DVL A50 into its control systems for stable position holding during underwater imaging. The Performance model was added to the Boxfish AUV and ARV-i autonomous product line. Boxfish fuses DVL output with other sensor data for navigation, altitude control and close infrastructure inspection.

    Source
  • QYSEA standardises Water Linked DVL A50 on commercial FIFISH ROVs

    2023-02-01 - Partnership - The DVL A50 became a standard fit for the FIFISH V6 EXPERT, PRO V6 PLUS and PRO W6. QYSEA increased an initial 10-unit order before delivery after evaluating the compact sensor. The integration adds station lock and navigation control capabilities to the supported FIFISH vehicles.

    Source

Context

Market context

DVL A50 is Water Linked's compact Doppler velocity log for underwater vehicles needing bottom-track velocity data and dead-reckoning support.

  • Target environment: Small AUVs, ROVs, underwater inspection robots, subsea mapping systems, and marine autonomy platforms.
  • Workflow context: Underwater navigation, velocity estimation, station keeping, dead reckoning, subsea inspection, and localization support without GNSS.
  • Customer context: AUV builders, ROV integrators, marine robotics teams, inspection providers, and subsea research labs.
  • Deployment model: DVL sensor integrated with vehicle navigation software, pressure/depth sensors, IMUs, acoustic systems, and mechanical mounting.
  • Commercial maturity: Commercial Water Linked sensor with product page and documentation for underwater robotics use.
  • Adoption constraints: Adoption depends on operating depth, bottom-lock conditions, acoustic environment, vehicle size, software integration, and navigation accuracy needs.
  • Market position: Underwater navigation component for subsea robots and marine autonomy.
  • Adjacent products: mosaic-X5 GNSS Module, ZED-F9P GNSS Module, MTi-680G GNSS/INS

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