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Harold Edgerton, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed sidescan sonar technology for use in the civilian community in the early 1960’s. Prior to developing sidescan, Edgerton was known for his work with photographic systems and “stopping time” via pictures. He applied a similar approach to mapping the seafloor using “flashes” of sound to create a narrow “image” of the underlying terrain and then stacking these images in a continuous, long “picture” as the sonar was towed along by a ship. Many of the names that we now associate with underwater exploration and mapping are people who trained with Edgerton during the early days of sidescan development; Marty Klein and Ed Curley were students of Edgerton who would later go on to found Klein Associates Inc. and EPC where you can purchase sidescan sonars and other ocean instrumentation. Another Edgerton student was Sam Raymond, founder of Benthos, which markets transponders and deep-ocean camera systems. |
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Sidescan sonars are among the simplest seafloor mapping tools that you can use. The sidescan sonar towfish typically includes the sonar transducers, electronics and their pressure housings and flotation. Over the decades as the technology for creating flotation and electronics has improved and become more compact, sidescan towfish have evolved from cumbersome systems (Figure 1) into lightweight vehicles that can be launched from small platforms with limited handling capabilities (Figure 2). |
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