Six directions in underwater and aerial connectivity
HAF develops the physical-layer foundations for buoy-free communication across the water-air interface: massive acoustic arrays, magnetic induction links, cooperative robot swarms, wireless power delivery and programmable metasurfaces — unified into a single cross-layer architecture tested in Icelandic fjords.
01
Acoustic Ultra-Massive MIMO
Large-scale transducer arrays exploit spatial multiplexing across the acoustic channel to push underwater throughput far past narrowband sonar links.
Beamforming algorithms adapt in real time to multipath and Doppler spread caused by fjord thermoclines and tidal currents.
02
Magnetic MIMO
Magnetic induction coils sidestep acoustic latency entirely, offering a low-delay control channel between AUVs at short to medium range.
Multi-coil arrays form directional links resilient to turbidity, bubbles and biofouling that would blind optical alternatives.
03
Multi-Robot Cooperative MIMO
Fleets of AUVs form virtual antenna arrays, combining individually weak signals into a coherent high-gain transmission.
Distributed synchronization protocols keep the swarm phase-aligned despite drift, currents and irregular spacing.
04
Underwater Power Delivery
Inductive and acoustic energy transfer let AUVs recharge at seabed docking nodes without surfacing or physical connectors.
Joint power-and-data waveforms allow a single link to sustain both telemetry and battery top-up simultaneously.
05
Acoustic Metasurfaces
Engineered subwavelength structures reshape and redirect acoustic wavefronts passively, extending range without added power.
Reconfigurable panels act as underwater reflectors, steering signals around seamounts and thermal layers on demand.
06
Buoy-Free AUV-UAV Communication
A cross-medium link translates acoustic signals directly into radio at the sea surface, removing the need for anchored relay buoys.
UAVs hover as mobile gateways, giving submerged sensors a moving, repositionable path to shore.
System Integration
Every layer is built to talk to every other layer.
Acoustic arrays, magnetic links, cooperative swarms and aerial relays are not separate experiments — they share one cross-layer stack, tested together in open water rather than in isolation.
Underway
Current projects & collaborations
- FjordLink — buoy-free acoustic-to-RF gateway trials in Hvalfjörður, with continuous AUV-UAV handover testing.
- MetaWave — reconfigurable acoustic metasurface panels developed with the Georgia Tech BWN Lab.
- SwarmCharge — cooperative MIMO and underwater power delivery integration for long-duration AUV missions.
- Coastal Sensing Network — joint deployment with the Icelandic Meteorological Office for fjord monitoring.
- Nordic Subsea Consortium — shared testbed access with partner labs across Norway and the Faroe Islands.
Read the papers behind the programme.
Peer-reviewed results across all six research directions, updated as work is accepted.