MARBLE Sea Lab
A research site with direct sea access at Martinska in Šibenik, built for testing sensors and communication equipment mounted on our underwater and surface node network, with trials of USVs and ASVs, multi-robot missions and high-resolution underwater sensing also in scope.
The MARBLE Sea Lab sits next to the Ruđer Bošković Institute's Martinska research station in Šibenik, and is developed in collaboration with the Institute. The site has direct access to the sea, with a cabled underwater network, a 100 m² shore station, diving support and a field-ready AUV.
For partners testing autonomous marine vehicles, underwater communications, or distributed sensing systems, the environment matters. Direct sea access at Martinska means trials run in real marine conditions, not sheltered approximations. The cabled network and shore-side infrastructure support extended trials, with the data and comms for multi-week campaigns where the activity allows.
What’s on site.
Everything on hand to test underwater sensors, communication equipment and marine vehicles without staging from off-site.
Underwater network IN PROGRESS
- Five submerged nodes connected to the shore station, reconfigurable and expandable
- Modular nodes: connect your own sensors and communication equipment plug-and-play
- Real-time access to your data through the fibre optic network
- Two surface data buoys above selected nodes
- Environmental sensing: temperature, salinity, pollutant levels
- Acoustic communication testing
- Vessel detection and localisation using underwater cameras, surface cameras, and lidar
Shore station
- 100 m² interior with server room, workshop, storage, and office (eight workstations)
- Drystone walling and living green roof for site integration with the surrounding pine forest
- Connected to the underwater network via fibre optic and power cables
- High-bandwidth comms back to MARBLE HQ, to MARBLE's other sites, and remote access from anywhere in the world
- Real-time monitoring and control of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles
- Multi-robot mission coordination from a single operational hub
Diving support
- Air and nitrox supply, subject to dive planning and safety rules
- Support for underwater installations and research dives, arranged per approved activity and subject to availability
Field-ready AUV
- IQUA SPARUS II shallow-water AUV, dive depth to 200 metres
- Modular payloads: DVL, INS, GNSS, USBL, MBES, side-scan sonar, underwater camera with LED lights and flash
- Used for precision navigation trials, multi-robot missions, and environmental surveys
What gets tested here.
The MARBLE Sea Lab is the right site for partners working on:
Sensors and payloads mounted on our underwater and surface node network
Communication equipment on the node network, including acoustic links
USV, ASV and AUV trials in real sea conditions, including extended missions where the approved activity allows
Multi-robot missions across surface, underwater, and aerial domains
Navigation and localisation algorithm validation in operational environments
What makes this site different.
A connected underwater and surface test network with direct sea access.
Direct sea access combined with cabled underwater infrastructure means trials can run in real sea conditions, with the data backhaul and shore-side support to capture and act on results in real time.
The Martinska partnership
The site sits next to the Ruđer Bošković Institute's Martinska research station. The collaboration combines RBI's marine science expertise with MARBLE's robotics and autonomy capability. For trials that benefit from marine science context (acoustic propagation, biodiversity monitoring, oceanographic baseline), the institutional pairing is part of the value.
Connected to the rest of the network
The shore station has high-bandwidth comms back to MARBLE HQ and to MARBLE's other two sites. The same link reaches the wider world: you can leave your equipment on site and access it, and its live data, from anywhere. For partners running multi-site campaigns, the MARBLE Sea Lab is the sea-access node in a coordinated network.
Access conditions
Access is tied to research activities approved in advance and runs under agreed conditions. On-site MARBLE technician available. Diving support arranged per approved activity, subject to availability. The underwater network and runs as five nodes connected to shore and can be reconfigured per partner specification.
A look around the site.
Sea trials, AUV launch and recovery, and the systems we deploy from the operation base.
The other two sites.
MARBLE operates three Adriatic pilot sites.
Smart Mussel Farm
Aquaculture technology validation, biological monitoring, IoT pilots in living estuarine conditions.
See Smart Mussel Farm → Smart Marina · RijekaSmart Marina
Autonomous surface vessel trials and shoreside integration, in a simulated marina setting.
See Smart Marina →Run your trial at the MARBLE Sea Lab.
A five-node cabled underwater network with hydrophones, cameras and sonars, and a support vessel on the doorstep. Tell us the system and the window, and we will come back with availability and what the trial involves.