If your near-bed current or waves program is bleeding time and budget on one-off frames and awkward deck layouts, you’re solving the wrong problem. PODS are purpose-built, stackable seabed platforms designed around ADCP deployments—so you standardise the frame, speed up mobilisations, and get cleaner datasets with predictable geometry.
Cut mobilisations, keep tilt under control, and standardise your seabed time series
At Grey 4 Blue Solutions, we configure PODS for Australia & APAC projects and integrate them with your sensors, release, and retrieval plan.
What PODS Is (and why it’s different)
- ADCP-first seabed platform with a flexible arrangement for broader seabed monitoring.
- Stackable frames to minimise storage footprint and enable palletised transport and tight deck packing.
- Gimbal mount options so you can run a free gimbal for automatic vertical orientation—or make it rigid by adding an extra arm when the mission needs it.
- Standardised deployment hardware: central lifting post, acoustic release + rope canister + recovery float workflow that crews learn once and repeat smoothly.
- Adaptable to your need. The design enables you to choose and build your own station with the sensors you want.
Why the Stackable Design Matters
Stackable frames sound trivial—until you price the time you waste on logistics. With PODS you can:
- Fit multiple frames on a single pallet, cut packing material, and simplify shipping.
- Reduce deck footprint so you can prep, stage, and lift in a steady flow.
- Standardise the spread across vessels and jobs, instead of reinventing mounts each campaign.
Result: shorter mobilisations, fewer surprises, lower cost per data point.
Keep the ADCP Honest: Free vs Rigid Gimbal
Tilt and platform motion contaminate near-bed current and waves measurements. PODS solves the geometry problem up front:
- Free gimbal keeps an upward-looking ADCP oriented to vertical, even on uneven seabeds.
- Rigid mode (add an extra arm) locks orientation when the instrument or method needs a fixed angle.
You choose the mount style per site—no custom welding, no field hacks.
A Deployment Workflow Crews Actually Like
- Central lifting post for balanced, predictable lifts.
- A one fit all fixation system. One key type for the whole system so that above and below water work is simples and easy.
- Acoustic release + rope canister + float for recovery—simple, known, repeatable.
- Gimbal to purpose. Compatible with the usual ADCPs and ancillary benthic sensors (optics, cameras, passive acoustics, etc.) when sized correctly.
It’s a standard operating picture, not a new science project each time.
Where PODS Beats the Alternatives
Against surface buoys
- No vandalism/traffic exposure; stable depth and orientation; better for benthic time series where platform motion ruins the signal.
Against AUV/USV surveys
- If you need residence time at the seabed (weeks to months), a fixed platform wins—cleaner baselines, fewer launch windows, no endurance juggling.
Against one-off frames
- Operational discipline: known lift points, known release stack, trained crew muscle memory, and repeatable data geometry across seasons.
Where PODS Isn’t the Answer (use the right tool)
- You need wide-area mapping fast → run an AUV/USV.
- You need live, high-rate telemetry offshore with no service windows → consider a cabled node or a telemetry buoy.
- You need manipulation or close-up inspection → send an ROV.
Example Mission Fits
- Coastal current & waves monitoring (semester to annual): Upward-looking ADCP on a free gimbal for clean tilt, plus a camera or turbidity sensor on the same frame.
- Harbour or aquaculture compliance: Fixed station near the seabed with predictable geometry, minimal surface footprint.
- Reference station for mobile surveys: Leave PODS on the bottom as your truth set; run USV/AUV transects and reconcile to the fixed record.
How Grey 4 Blue Solutions Configures PODS for You
- Base selection (footprint & height) to match seabed type and hydrodynamics
- Mounting choice (free/rigid gimbal) based on instrument and method
- Release & retrieval package (acoustic release, rope canister, marker float, spares)
We can align everything to published hardware specs and your site conditions so you get faster turns and cleaner data—without custom fabrication every time.
Key Takeaways
Use PODS when your priority is long-duration, near-bed datasets with minimal platform motion.
Stackable seabed platforms cut storage, shipping, and deck chaos.
Gimbal options let you choose tilt control (free) or fixed orientation (rigid) per mission.
Standard hardware and workflow means safer lifts, smoother recoveries, and repeatable data geometry.
