In a world-first, Rovco has launched SubSLAM Live a 3-D Streaming technology which allows clients to video and live stream 3-D underwater pointclouds to any device in the world, the company said on Dec. 2.

The stereo camera technology system sends images and 3-D models of assets from the seabed to a computer browser in any location globally. This offers customers instantaneous access to information as an inspection or construction activity is taking place. Rovco trialed the technology earlier in the year with an oil and gas Super Major, at a renewable wind farm, and more recently in 0.5 meters of visibility at an ex-naval dockyard owned by Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

“To our knowledge, this technology is the first of its kind, anywhere in the world, to live stream from the seabed to a desk. We have been utilizing our SubSLAM technology for one year so far but with our ongoing investment in research and development, our latest capability of the system has revolutionized how subsea work can be carried out,” Iain Wallace, chief scientific officer, said.

During the final trials, the technology was lowered into a sea-water filled dock which contains sample assets from the subsea industry. The company’s engineers used state-of-the-art stereo camera system to capture high-definition video, this allowed us to use the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) system to build highly accurate 3-D point cloud models while staff back in the company’s office 300 miles away, directed the ROV while keeping track of the ROV location and operations via their phones and laptops.

The capabilities of this new technology will change the way the industry carries out underwater inspections. It can reduce time, cost and revolutionize the way engineers process data, allowing for faster data-driven decisions to be made regarding the integrity of subsea infrastructure.

The accurately calibrated stereo camera system model is automatically scaled. This means our clients can not only view the model but can also take live measurements of the assets. There are no specialist tools required as it works within a standard web browser.

More than 20 engineers in Rovco’s research and development team have worked on the new technology, Wallace said.