From ports to ocean monitoring: with WSense, underwater WiFi speaks Italian

Almost three quarters of the earth's surface is covered by water: we are around 70%, almost all of which is represented by the oceans. That is why knowledge of the deepest underwater world is crucial to understanding the overall balance of our planet: from the course of currents to the evolution of the seabed, from water salinity and temperatures to the consequences on marine flora and fauna, the exploration of the underwater world is one of the new frontiers of the scientific world.

If, on the other hand, satellites represent a valuable additional observation point for assessing movements and phenomena, monitoring the seabed and deep waters from below becomes essential in order to get a precise, live picture of the conditions of one of the vital lungs of the Earth's ecosystem, a reality about which human beings know very little today, given that almost 80% is an unknown quantity. On closer inspection, more is known about the Moon and Mars than about the oceans

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) is a specialisation that brings sensor technology and precision monitoring of the Internet of Things below the water level, opening new frontiers for human knowledge. And for once, Italy is at the forefront of this profound innovation.

Giving voice to the ocean, making it possible to collect large-scale, high-density underwater data, in real time and with full respect for ecosystems is indeed the mission of WSense, a spinoff of La Sapienza University of Rome specialising in underwater monitoring and communication. Based on patented technologies, the scale-up's solutions use multi-frequency acoustic waves and wireless optical technologies, enabling real-time, reliable and secure underwater wireless communications without impacting the seabed. An 'undersea WiFi' that connects robotics, sensors, actuators and professional divers into a single, unified communications ecosystem, and provides support for underwater domain control and critical infrastructure protection.

WSense has just signed a specific agreement related to maritime and port infrastructure that consolidates its collaboration with Fincantieri. The agreement envisages the adoption of underwater IoT technologies for the real-time and continuous collection of reliable data on the intensity and direction of currents, water quality and turbidity, biodiversity, underwater noise, and even the stability of structural elements. This information is derived from the Internet of Underwater Things, which allows the creation of advanced monitoring and early warning systems, fundamental for increasing safety, predictability and control in port activities, such as dredging, breakwaters and defence works. Like the sensors and connections that enable constant and precise monitoring of the highly sensitive logistical infrastructures of the emerged world, underwater WiFi enables predictive control of structures below the water level, whose characteristics easily escape human assessment.