From riverbeds to flood zones: new sonar tech puts Australia on the map

An Australian designed and built sonar sensor capable of operating in shallow water and coastal environments has been developed by Macquarie and University of Wollongong researchers.

The Smart sonar and accessible hydrography project has progressed the local manufacturing of state-of-the-art transducers for high-sensitivity sonar systems, proving Australia need not rely so heavily on international suppliers.

High-sensitivity sonar systems are vital for water managers, dam operators, mining sites, and environmental monitoring, enabling the mapping of riverbeds, tracking of sediment movement, and surveillance of underwater vegetation such as seagrass.

High-sensitivity sonar systems are used to map riverbeds (left) and survey important underwater vegetation such as seagrass (right). Credit: AdobeStock

The new transducer shows strong promise for surveying flooded and storm-damaged areas, and coastal environments.

The project, supported by the NSW Smart Sensing Network’s Grand Challenge Fund, was led by Senior Lecturer in Macquarie University’s School of Computing, Dr Matthew Roberts.

He contributed advanced signal processing and data analytics, enabling the sonar transducer to generate detailed maps and measurements of underwater environments in real time.

Senior Lecturer in Macquarie University’s School of Computing, Dr Matthew Roberts.

“This project proves that Australia can develop underwater sonar technology from start to finish,” Dr Roberts said.

“It’s not just about the hardware—it's about the full capability, from ceramic design to field deployment, that allows us to build systems tailored to Australian needs.”

At the heart of the system is a ceramic transducer—sometimes called a "ceramic puck"—which converts electrical energy into underwater sound waves.

The piezoelectric ceramic material, developed by the University of Wollongong, is typically used in medical ultrasound and has now been adapted for underwater applications in Australia.

Distinguished Professor Shujun Zhang from the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials at the University of Wollongong is the co-investigator on the project.

Distinguished Professor Shujun Zhang from the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong

“This high-sensitivity transducer was built on a foundation of advanced, domestically fabricated piezoelectric ceramics, crucial for operating in complex shallow waters,” Professor Zhang said.

“The project also strengthens vital sovereign capability by training the next generation of Australian material researchers in cutting-edge transducer design.”

The project team conducted successful field trials, acquiring data from a sonar transducer at Nelson Bay, Shoalhaven and Sydney, with strong performance across a range of conditions.

The project has shown that a complete local supply chain in shallow water sonar systems can be established – spanning design, manufacturing, programming, control systems, and data analysis – to deliver sophisticated sonar applications at smaller scales.

The system is now being assessed for potential commercialisation by industry partner CEE HydroSystems, an Australian manufacturer of hydrographic survey echo sounders and tide gauges.

The project team conducted successful field trials, acquiring data from a sonar transducer on an unmanned surface vehicle, such as this one at Nelson Bay. Credit: Supplied.

Managing Director of CEE HydroSystems, Peter Garforth said there is particular interest in its potential applications for environmental monitoring of water level changes and disaster response.

“During COVID, Australian manufactures felt the impact of relying on essential product components that are made overseas,” Mr Garforth said.

“The potential of a locally produced sonar transducer that can be used for commercial, shallow water purposes in Australia is very encouraging.”

The project has also helped build a pipeline of skilled talent, with undergraduate mechanical and mechatronic engineers trained in ceramics, housing design, electronics, and field testing.

“It was a challenge to find people skilled to work on the project due the very specific nature of the skills,” Dr Roberts said.

“The number of people who can configure drone software for boats in Australia is in the single digits, but we added two more with this project.”

NSSN Environment & AgTech Lead Dr Tomonori Hu. Credit: Supplied

NSSN Environment & AgTech Lead Dr Tomonori Hu said the project was a standout example of what’s possible when research and industry truly collaborate.

“A new idea for custom, sonar transducers didn’t just stay on the drawing board—it directly shaped the development of future, commercial unmanned surface vehicle (USV) products,” Dr Hu said.

“Meanwhile, the field trials produced a rich dataset that’s opening exciting new research avenues at Macquarie University, including biodiversity monitoring in estuaries.

“What really made this project shine was the strong partnership between Matthew and Peter—academic and industry working side by side, regularly visiting each other’s labs to tackle challenges together. That kind of hands-on, mutual commitment is what drives innovation forward.”