The iBoat BS12 is an autonomous platform designed to operate in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and channels, allowing to obtain high-resolution bathymetric and hydrodynamic data without exposing staff to the risks associated with operations in high-flow channels or difficult-to-access areas.

THS Engineering, a company specializing in hydraulic and environmental engineering based in Puerto Montt, presented on Monday 18 May the official launch of the iBoat BS12, an unmanned surface vessel (USV) that integrates RTK positioning technology, a single beam echo sounder and a 1.200 Doppler acoustic profiler (ADCP)
kHz.

The launch took place at the premises of the company Casco Antiguo, bringing together professionals, clients and representatives from the public and private sectors of the Los Lagos region. The equipment was acquired within the framework of the "THS HydroScan: High Precision Hydrographic Surveys for Southern Chile" project, co-financed by CORFO through the Activa Inversión instrument, and represents a strategic investment.
focused on expanding and strengthening the company's service offerings in the field of water resource management.

A technology that marks a before and after
The iBoat BS12 is an autonomous platform designed to operate in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and channels, allowing to obtain high-resolution bathymetric and hydrodynamic data without exposing staff to the risks associated with operations in high-flow channels or difficult to access areas. Thanks to its RTK navigation system, all
information gathered is georeferenced with centimetric precision, significantly improving the quality of the data provided to customers.

Ted Holmberg, CEO and founder of THS Ingeniería, highlighted the significance of this milestone for the company: "We are very pleased to incorporate this new technology into our specialized offer. For us, the acquisition of the iBoat BS12 is a real milestone: it positions us at the forefront of hydraulic engineering in southern Chile and opens the door to deliver more accurate, safer and more efficient solutions to our clients. This is" exactly the type of innovation that we want to continue promoting from THS Ingeniería.

Gustavo Rival, Director of the Department of Oceanography of Casco Antiguo, highlighted both the technical value of the team and its impact on operational safety and process efficiency: "In Casco Antiguo we seek cutting-edge technologies that deliver quality data and, at the same time, reduce human risk. The iBoat BS12 is an interesting and unique team: thanks to its Doppler systems, it is able to measure the entire water column of a river precisely and, through its remote control operation, eliminates the need to expose personnel on the ground. This not only represents a significant advance in security, but also simplifies processes and reduces the costs associated with the installation and start-up of the surveys."

Support for the regionally-enhancing ecosystem
Oliver Lizana, CODESSER Development Executive, operating agent of CORFO in the region of Los Lagos, valued both the financial impact and the technical and security scope of the project: "This project was made possible thanks to the instrument Active Investment of CORFO, which financed up to 30 million pesos of the total investment, being the remaining amount—close to 20 million pesos—direct contribution of the beneficiary. That speaks of a
genuine private commitment to innovation. From the technical point of view, this technology has a very concrete additional value: since it is a high-precision autonomous vehicle, it eliminates the need for personnel to enter the rivers to make measurements, significantly reducing the operational risk in tasks that historically have represented conditions of high demand and danger for the work teams".

The total investment of the THS HydroScan project amounts to approximately $50 million pesos, of which CORFO contributed up to $30 million through the Active Investment fund, and THS Engineering financed the remaining $20 million from its own resources. This form of co-financing seeks to encourage the adoption of
advanced technology in regional companies, strengthening their competitiveness and ability to generate higher value-added solutions.