By leveraging emerging technologies and robotics, inspections can be completed much more cost-effectively, in a fraction of the time, while mitigating the risks involved with having to hire dive teams to perform these tasks.
The adoption of imaging technologies to create 2D and 3D models is becoming much more common in the management of critical infrastructure. In many cases of submerged infrastructure, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are the only way to easily capture reliable data for modeling.
Utilizing ROVs, operators are not required to obtain expensive or timeconsuming certifications and can immediately begin remotely surveying assets. This empowers nearly any member of a team to have the ability to inspect and scan structures in complex underwater environments, without any of the dangers associated with entering the water.
Photogrammetry is also invaluable in conditions that are unsafe or challenging to access, allowing data capture without physically touching or disturbing objects, making it ideal for documenting fragile or sensitive cultural artifacts, archaeological sites, and natural environments.
UNDERWATER ASSET MANAGEMENT
ROVs have emerged as the ideal solution for achieving high-quality and comprehensive underwater data in various fields such as defense, offshore energy, hydroelectric dams, infrastructure, and port security, to name a few; offering a range of advantages that make them exceptionally suited for underwater photogrammetry projects.
The advanced maneuverability of ROVs contributes significantly to their effectiveness in underwater photogrammetry. Equipped with vectored thrusters, sophisticated automated waypoint tracking, and positioning and stabilization systems, ROVs can maintain positions and follow predetermined paths, resulting in consistent imaging with minimal disturbances to the surrounding environment.
This stability is crucial for capturing clear and distortion-free images, which are essential for generating accurate 3D models.
ROVs can also be equipped with a range of advanced sensors and imaging technologies, including:
• Ultra-high-resolution cameras: Serving as the primary source of situational awareness, high-definition cameras provide operators with real-time video feeds.
• IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit): Incorporating a compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer, the IMU tracks the ROV’s orientation and motion in three-dimensional space. This data is necessary for stabilizing the vehicle and executing careful maneuvers.
• DVL (Doppler Velocity Log): By measuring changes in sound wave frequencies, DVL systems determine the ROV’s speed, direction, and altitude relative to the seabed.
• USBL (Ultra-Short Baseline): Integration with USBL enhances navigation accuracy and enables autonomous navigation and position holding in challenging underwater conditions.
• Multibeam Imaging Sonar: Utilizing sound waves for real-time imaging, multibeam sonars offer detailed underwater visibility even in low or zero-visibility environments. They play a crucial role in navigation, object detection, and seabed mapping with exceptional resolution, serving as the primary visual aid when water clarity is compromised.
• Laser scalers: Estimates sizes of objects, pits, cracks, and more by comparing the distance between laser sights.
This sensor versatility allows ROVs to capture data across different wavelengths, enhancing the comprehensiveness of the collected information.
Integration of real-time positioning systems, such as Deep Trekker’s innovative work on Dead Reckoning for ROVs, also ensures precise georeferencing of the collected data, enabling accurate mapping and analysis. By capturing high-resolution images and data of submerged structures, ROVs play a pivotal role in creating accurate digital twins of underwater environments.
IMPROVED DATA ACQUISITION
ROVs are a valuable tool for data collection, observation, and monitoring in underwater environments, significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of underwater modeling processes.They enhance the quality and quantity of data available for modeling, facilitating better understanding, analysis, and management of underwater environments and structures.
The synergy between ROVs and photogrammetry allows for the creation of detailed, time-varying digital twins of underwater assets. These digital twins serve a multitude of purposes, from asset inspection and maintenance to subsea surveys and mapping.
The data collected by ROVs can be used to continually update and refine these digital twins, providing a dynamic and evolving representation of underwater ecosystems, opening up new avenues for scientific discovery and industrial applications.
ROVS FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY
Photogrammetry finds applications across a spectrum of industries, providing an invaluable means of capturing and analyzing visual data.
In the maritime sector, ROVs equipped with photogrammetry capabilities prove indispensable for hull inspections, subsea inspections, subsea mapping, and seawall inspections.
The offshore energy industry benefits from the technology’s prowess in dam inspections, creating digital twins of assets, subsea mapping, offshore inspections, and managing subsea cables.
In the defense industry, the use of Deep Trekker ROVs for photogrammetry projects enhances situational awareness, aids in threat detection, and improves mission planning and execution.
In aquaculture, the ability to capture high-quality images and 3D models supports efficient management and environmentally responsible practices, ultimately contributing to the sustainability and success of aquaculture operations.
In ocean Science, photogrammetry aids in coral reef mapping and subsea mapping, facilitating the creation of digital twins for research.
Deep Trekker ROVs, with their compact and portable design, are particularly wellsuited for search and recovery operations in a wide range of underwater environments, including lakes, rivers, and oceans. They provide a cost-effective and efficient means of conducting photogrammetry to document and analyze underwater scenes, contributing to the success of search and recovery missions and providing critical insights for investigations.
In infrastructure, ROVs are instrumental in tank inspections, generating digital twins, and conducting stormwater inspections. The versatility of ROVs enables operators to harness the power of photogrammetry for enhanced data-driven decision-making and assessments.
NEW ERA FOR ROBOTICS
As the application of underwater robotics broadens, ROVs have proven to be the ideal solution for underwater photogrammetry due to their safety, maneuverability, sensor versatility, and adaptability to diverse underwater conditions.
Their capability to capture detailed and accurate imagery while mitigating human risk positions them as indispensable tools for researchers, scientists, port authorities, and industries seeking to unlock the secrets of the underwater world through comprehensive and highquality 3D mapping.
By utilizing ROVs, operators can access and gather data from these challenging underwater environments, reducing risks to human divers and expanding the scope of data collection for modeling purposes.
This story was originally featured in ON&T’s June 2024 issue. Click here to read more.
