Page 57: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2016)

BlueROV2: Blue Robotics Launches New ROV

Torrance, Calif. startup Blue Robotics has launched what to depth sensors and underwater lights.

it is calling the “world’s most affordable inspection- and re- Now, with the BlueROV2 underwater drone, the company search-class subsea vehicle.” The BlueROV2 is a high-perfor- has debuted its “new ? agship product – a fusion of all of our mance yet affordable remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that other products and efforts,” according to Jehangir.

leverages a six-thruster vectored con? guration typically only “We’re able to make the BlueROV2 at a fraction of the cost seen in higher-end vehicles, meaning the new ROV is smooth, of similar vehicles thanks to many of the same technologies stable and highly maneuverable, its manufacturer said. that have made aerial drones affordable,” Jehangir explained.

Available in a number of con? gurations, a standard Blu- That includes the use of the open-source Pixhawk autopilot as eROV2 kit costs approximately $3,000 and provides a plat- well as a Raspberry Pi computer.

form to attach scienti? c equipment, ? lm cinematographic Blue Robotics said that the BlueROV2’s low price will en- quality shots and explore the oceans down to a depth of 100 able wider use of subsea vehicles for many people including meters – with a price tag markedly lower than those of similar universities, research organizations, small businesses, hobby- vehicles. ists and ? rst responders. “We know there are a lot of people “From day one, our goal has been to make marine robotics out there with an urge to explore the ocean,” Jehangir said, accessible to more people and businesses than ever before,” “and the BlueROV2 is a tool to help them do so.” said the company’s founder, Rustom Jehangir. The BlueROV2 comes as a partially assembled kit that is

Since launching its ? rst product, a low-cost underwater simple to build and requires several hours of user assembly. It thruster motor, through a Kickstarter campaign in 2014, Blue is available for reservation now and will begin shipping out to

Robotics has gone on to steadily release a line of new marine customers from August 2016.

robotics products ranging from watertight pressure enclosures www.bluerobotics.com

Photo: Saab Seaeye www.marinetechnologynews.com

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