Voyis has launched a new product line of vision systems for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) designed to capture both low-latency enhanced video for piloting while simultaneously capturing high quality stills images for 3D modelling.
Piloting cameras prioritize low latency video at the expense of the image data required for 3D model generation. Conversely, 3D cameras prioritize image data at the expense of piloting effectiveness, limited by a higher latency and smaller field of view.
Voyis’ new Discovery Vision System delivers 4K piloting video together with 3D data to achieve both high resolution video and real-time 3D perception for piloting, inspection, and autonomy applications.
The company offers two versions of the Discovery: the Discovery Camera and the Discovery Stereo.
The Discovery Camera provides small ROV platforms with a compact imaging and lighting payload that streams both 4K low latency piloting video, as well as recording crisp stills images for direct 3D modeling. By utilizing a large high-sensitivity sensor and wide-angle lens, it provides an ultra-wide field of view (130°x130°) for complete situational awareness without needing to tilt the camera.
The camera’s 8-megapixel sensor with resolution-matched optics achieves true 4K video quality, along with lossless sensor zoom. The synchronized high-power Nova Mini lights provide an industry-leading 125,000 lumens of even illumination, increasing the operating range and feature detection capabilities of the vision system. Edge computing corrects visual inaccuracies in real-time and uses high dynamic range information to correct lighting that enables the stills images to be directly used for 3D modeling.
The Discovery Stereo brings true depth perception and real-time 3D modeling to ROV platforms operating at up to 4,000m depth. It maintains a wide field of view (75°x75°) and low latency for the piloting video stream, while onboard computing instantaneously calculates 3D depth maps for measurements and coverage monitoring.
These depth maps are 3D point clouds calculated from feature matches between a pair of images at a single point in time, which can be displayed in a real-time rotatable video stream to observe the changing 3D scene and allow the pilot to monitor the vehicle’s position relative to the target. This depth perception has the potential to enable autonomous capabilities on newer robotic platforms, like manipulator automation or station keeping without seabed bottom-lock.
Both product versions come integrated with Nova Mini lights, as well as direct support of DDS (Data Distribution Service) and ROS2 (Robot Operating System). According to Voyis, support of these new robotics standards drastically simplifies vehicle integration and autonomy, while also improving system reliability.
“Voyis continues to lead innovation that enhances capability in underwater exploration and inspection applications,” said Chris Gilson, CEO at Voyis. “The Discovery Vision Systems represent a significant leap forward in the performance of ROV vision systems, delivering simultaneous 4K video and 3D data streams. We believe this system will become the standard platform for underwater machine vision and autonomy, helping to advance a revolution in subsea robotics.”
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