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TEMEX is taking part in the ATOS project for the development of an "optics-based" undersea acoustic probe for more effective remote monitoring used for maritime safety and security.

This project with a 4M€ budget is managed by THALES Underwater Systems and jointly recognised by the competitiveness clusters Pôle Mer Bretagne and Pôle PACA. TEMEX is responsible for designing and manufacturing the digital receiver of optic signals and is partially financed by the Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes.

The ATOS project is based on a new approach that shows a technological breakthrough with the past as the fibre optic technology provides for information capture, transfer and signal multiplexing while offering the advantages of minimal attenuation, immunity from parasitic electromagnetic effects and broad bandwidth at a much lower cost than existing solutions! This new generation probe requires no submerged electricity supply. Passive submerged sensors listen to undersea noise emissions and communicate the signals to an onshore centre several kilometres away. This new technology will bring in an effective cost reduction of the undersea acoustic barriers very costly so far as a string of hydrophones can be positioned every few dozen metres along a single fibre optic cable of just a few millimetres in diameter to create an extensive site surveillance cordon.

This is of immediate interest to geophysicists, seismologists and those responsible for the security of sensitive installations, such as harbours, naval bases and oil and gas exploration platforms, or for combating terrorism and illegal trafficking.