Once we completed building our sailboat, we had planed to build an ROV with side scan sonar that could be towed behind. Having a ROV already in the water means sonar targets can quickly be visually inspected.  It's an idea that also came from a marine archaeologist doing work in the Black Sea.

Project Lead: Doug Jackson, svseeker@ymail.com 918-630-4050  If you'd like to provide some input, just write call, or join and post to our FaceBook group: SVSeeker   Skype account: SVSeeker

Specifications

Description: An streamlined mini ROV towed behind a side scan sonar to conduct visual inspections of interesting sonar targets.

Mission: This is an open source development project with the goal of being deployed in the Black Sea

Duty Cycle: 10% duty cycle, a maximum of 1 hour actual operation during a 10 hour-day operation.

Towing: ROV will trail other towed gear by a tether of 100 meters (300 feet). At positions of interest, the vessel will stop, as well as the leading sensor block, and the ROV will go to either port or starboard to investigate points of interest that will be at a distance of less than 100 meters on each side. Towing speed up to 3.5 knots.

Tether: 100 meters, preferably less than 5 mm, between ROV and leading sensors.Tether attaches to tail of the ROV, which will have camera port pointing stern while the ship is under way. ROV will be only used for initial imaging. If necessary, and the target proves to be of great interest, larger and more capable ROV's will be deployed at a later date to have more thorough study of the location. Length from leading sensor to boat is 900 (2,700 feet) meters, connecting it to the Bodrum. A single twisted pair will be utilized for communication and lo-res video transfer for length of 3,000 feet.

Thrusters: Brushless, likely pressure compensated (oil filled) and as small as possible. Able to push at maximum speed of 1 knot. Vertical thruster even smaller and required to raise the ROV 10 or 20 feet maximum from the seabed. Inexpensive solutions preferred. Plan is to have at least half a dozen ready to install spare thrusters on board, with at least 20 motors, ESC's etc. spares ready to be installed into thrusters on deck, ready to be deployed.

Power: Batteries, probably Lithium. Easy change on deck desired. Design capacity of 1 hour of operation.

Imaging: HD camera on ROV recording on SD, while live low res is streamed to the Bodrum. 320 x 240 @ 5 fpm is acceptable. Even in B&W is fine, if bandwidth is limited. Tether of 3,000 feet, which also carries the control signals will be the limiting factor.