The development and deployment of compact ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles) in recent years have immensely helped users overcome the greater technical difficulties and efficiency issues involving professional small-scale underwater tasks, especially in 4K filming, operational work, and deep-sea inspections. While the ROVs’ capacity in shooting, mobility, and power is continuously improving, the ability to accurately and actively lock onto subjects visually underwater remained a challenging bottleneck to breakthrough within the industry. In light of recent breakthroughs and developments, QYSEA Technology and its innovative research and engineering team have launched an AI-based vision platform allowing its FIFISH Underwater Robots to achieve precise underwater active visual locking capabilities.
The newly-developed QYSEA AI Platform includes a range of adaptive position and vision locking systems for all FIFISH ROVs. Among these dynamic features, the AI Vision Lock system can visually secure onto selected targets across any underwater environment with ease and precision. The user needs to simply press on the area of interest on their APP screen and the ROV then intuitively adjusts its position, locking the target at the screen center.
Activating the AI Vision Lock unleashes a range of smart capabilities that ensure selected subjects are at the main focus, improving operating efficiency and resistance against currents for the FIFISH user. Once locked onto the selected target and if the posture of the ROV -such as its pitch, direction, and rolls- is changed from outside elements or thought the controller, the FIFISH will intuitively re-adjust its position towards the original point of focus.
The key technology behind QYSEA’s AI platform is the Dead Reckoning Inertial Navigation System (DR-INS). FIFISH ROVs utilize their built-in accelerometer and gyroscope to measure the acceleration and angular velocity of objects, as well as their computing systems to actively estimate and calculate the position, attitude, and velocity of objects in motion which results in a stabilized and smooth real-time target locking. The technology has been mainly used through aircraft, submarines, missiles, and space shuttles, where its technical threshold can be quite high. As a creative breakthrough within the marine industry, the QYSEA R&D team has taken the lead in applying this technology to ROVs for the first time, successfully launching the AI Vision Lock platform following numerous trials and iterations.
QYSEA’s AI Platform and Vision Lock system brings disruptive and essential changes across the marine industries, further enhancing the capabilities for the needs of both professionals and enthusiasts.
Emergency Search & Rescue
Underwater emergency rescue operations are often time-critical, where it would be key to locate the rescue targets with optimal efficiency and precision. QYSEA’s FIFISH Underwater Robots, equipped with the 2D imaging sonar and AI Vision Lock function, allow the ROV to secure its visuals with swiftness and accuracy, allowing divers to execute their rescue missions with higher efficiency. During a life-saving and vital mission where every second counts, the AI Vision Lock uses automation to effectively track the necessary objects, removing the time and costs wasted from performing manual tracking.
Highway & Bridge Inspections
Highways and bridges are a vital part of national transportation, and thus is necessary to conduct regular inspections of their internal and external structures to ensure safety for daily operation. Traditionally, bridge inspection required much manpower and resources to be complete. The FIFISH ROV can be seamlessly deployed into waters for inspections and -with the AI Vision Lock system- easily lock onto a damaged area along with the piles and coordinate a quick repairing operation. Combined with the AR Ruler attachment, operators achieve greater efficiency in identifying and measuring the size of damages and other elements through the FIFISH APP.
Offshore Wind Power
Offshore wind is one of the newest and most promising sources of energy, with yearly rising industry demand on a global scale. As a result, offshore wind power equipment requires frequent maintenance and inspections to maintain its operations, with ROVs having been a largely beneficial solution for these tasks. Utilizing the AI Vision Lock platform, operators can inspect an offshore wind structure’s pile and detect problematic areas with great detail and ease. Under heavy and strong currents that frequent in offshore environments, the AI Vision Lock system keeps the position of the FIFISH ROV highly secured and locked onto its target.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture in China has developed rapidly, ranking first in the world for more than 20 consecutive years and accounting for nearly 70% of the world’s total output. However, its rapid development has also been accompanied by various challenges; traditional fish farming operations have relied on labor-intensive methods for inspections, as well as harmful breeding practices to manage its efficiency. Deploying compact ROVs into the world of aquaculture has greatly reduced human-based and fish-breeding risks. With the recent AI Vision Lock upgrade, the FIFISH can quickly locate and lock onto damaged areas around the fishing net, and execute a quick repair with the Net Patch Kit add-on tool. Through these modernized methods, the marine industry is able to experience immense improvements in its standards and operations.
The marine applications and scenarios where the FIFISH can benefit the user are not only limited to the ones listed above. The QYSEA’s AI Vision Lock platform introduces a new level of operational efficiency and capabilities for its ROV users. From underwater filming and discovery missions to advanced operational tasks, QYSEA’s latest comprehensive APP upgrade pushes the industry of compact ROVs to new and exciting heights.
