EvoLogics - Dolphin Echolocation Underwater Communication — EvoLogics

Biological model: Dolphin echolocation system

Company: EvoLogics

Dolphin echolocation processing inspires S2C acoustic modems achieving accurate underwater communication where conventional sonars fail.

The challenge

Underwater acoustic communication fails in shallow, cluttered, or noisy environments where conventional single-frequency modems cannot distinguish signal from multipath interference. Offshore renewable energy and subsea robotics require robust underwater communication.

Nature's strategy

Dolphins emit broadband click sequences and process returning echoes using frequency-tuned auditory neurons, extracting target signatures from complex multipath reflections.

What was emulated

Multi-frequency signal design; temporal processing of echoes; robustness to noise and multipath; real-time signal classification; cognitive-level data extraction.

The innovation

S2C acoustic modems using frequency-swept signals and biologically-inspired receiver algorithms, enabling reliable underwater communication in challenging environments.

Full case study

Dolphins navigate and hunt in murky oceans by emitting clicks and analysing returning echoes—a biological sonar system of extraordinary sophistication. Their clicks span multiple frequencies simultaneously, enabling them to extract object distance, velocity, material composition, and internal structure from reflected signals. The nervous system processes these echoes in real time, isolating target signatures amidst background noise and multipath reflections. Conventional underwater acoustic modems use single-frequency continuous signals, suffering severe degradation in cluttered environments (rocky seabeds, shallow water, heavy rain). EvoLogics reverse-engineered dolphin auditory processing to develop Sweep-Spread Carrier (S2C) acoustic modems that span frequency ranges similar to dolphin clicks. Instead of holding a single frequency, S2C signals sweep continuously across bands, encoding data in the sweep pattern. Receiver algorithms, inspired by dolphin neural processing, correlate incoming echoes against expected sweep patterns, extracting data from signals previously buried in noise. Field tests show EvoLogics modems achieving reliable communication in conditions where conventional modems achieve zero throughput: underwater obstructions, shallow turbulent channels, harbour noise. This breakthrough has enabled offshore wind installation, subsea robotics, and oceanographic research previously impossible due to communication limitations.