What are underwater Drone Inspections?

Underwater Drones are fast becoming the go to for deep sea inspections across the world.

Using an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) inspection, saves on cost, efficiency and lessens human risk as deep sea divers are not as needed as much as once before, in the oil & gas sectors.

An ROV, on a general level, is connected to a cable which is used to communicate to the remote control, providing visual feedback to the piloting monitor when taking pictures.

And this will allow engineers to spot problems and areas for repair or replacement.

Some underwater Drones vary but the Falcon ROV can carry up to 14kg payload and can submerge itself up to 300m.

The camera, as you can imagine is one of the most important components of an underwater Drone.

And one is the DTG3 which is designed to work well in low light. The 4k internal camera gives a 270 degree rotation. The visual feedback is up to 8 megapixels.

Another is the Revolution underwater camera. This has greater payload capabilities, deeper depths and great stabilisation. The Revolution has the same visual feedback as the DTG3

But there is one major concern with an ROV – communication between the pilot and the unmanned vehicle.

One of the leading problems is the transmission underwater as water can distort transmission which is crucial for feedback.

But another type of underwater Drone is an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). This is different to an ROV as it is unmanned and operated without a cable and human input. An AUV is usually pre-programmed before it is sent underwater. The programme tells the Drone to head to a particular location using GPS to undertake sensor readings, land surveys and data.

Drones are used to monitor pipe work that is underwater in the oil and gas sectors. And oceanic research is also using Drones to analyse the seabed.

Underwater Drones allow divers to safely inspect enclosed spaces in tanks, pipes and intake structures.

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