New ROVs enhance underwater inspections

They will be useful for the inspection of dams, ship hulls, pipelines and offshore installations or assisting in open water searches for weapons and drowning victims, reducing both dive times and danger to divers.

The new models are half the size and weight of their predecessors (only 43 pounds), making them highly portable. The topside control unit is built into a compact waterproof case with an ultra-bright 15 inch flat screen monitor in the lid.

The new features and updates make transport, storage, and operation of the system very easy. Command of the ROV’s four powerful thrusters, camera, and lights is managed through a handheld PS2 controller, while a wireless controller can be also be used to give the operator more freedom of movement. A gentle push on the vertical joystick propels the vehicle down into the depths and a nudge on the horizontal joystick sends it over the ocean floor.

Other new additions include front and rear facing colour cameras with pan and tilt, which provides 140° of vertical and horizontal viewing. A video output jack in the control box allows an additional external monitor to be used in conjunction with the internal monitor, while an adjustable video amplifier on the control panel lets the operator tune the video to optimise picture quality for water clarity. A VCR or DVD recorder can be connected to make a permanent record of the video. Lighting for the forward looking camera is provided by two fully adjustable 100 watt tungsten halogen bulbs and the rear facing camera is surrounded by a ring of high intensity LEDs.

The basic SeaOtter-2 and SeaLion-2 system includes everything needed for search and inspection operations; the underwater vehicle, 250 feet of umbilical, and the topside control unit with built-in monitor. A number of options are available for these ROVs, including a metal detector that mounts on the front, scanning sonar, a manipulator arm, DVD recorder, European PAL format cameras, and cable lengths up to 1,500 feet.

The metal detector turns the ROV into a search system that can locate objects buried under the ocean floor, while the scanning sonar lets the ROV ‘see’ up to 60m around the vehicle even in zero visibility conditions. In water with low clarity, the sonar can locate targets well beyond the camera’s range of vision, and guide the ROV directly to them.