Page 78: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2012)

Subsea Vehicle Report – Unmanned Underwater Systems

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Small object recovery Objects of interest are primarily small objects such as limpet mines, sea mines, ammunition, as well as contra- band and drowning victims. VideoRay has recently won contracts or sold multiple units to the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, New York Police Department, Saudi Border Guard, Norwegian Navy, and several other governments and agencies. An advantage was VideoRay?s hull crawling system. The latest improvements to this advanced crawler were funded with over $2m by the US DoD Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, which summarized the project in their 2011 Annual Review: ?Enhanced Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle Securing ports and harbors remains a key mission in defending against terrorist acts. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requires the capability to conduct timely and effec- tive hull searches/inspections of vessels, piers, the seafloor and/or anomalous events (parasitic attachments, drifting or moored mines, and improvised explosive devices). The Coast Guard currently maintains Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems devoted to the port security mission. Current system performance is limited in certain capacities. This project aims to enhance the USCG?s current ROV systems with an improved sonar, manipulator, image enhancement system, hull crawler, and an improved non-acoustic naviga- tion system. These upgraded ROVs will provide better search capabilities in all water clarities and in very strong cur- rents, keeping divers out of dangerous waters while search- ing for hazardous devices.? Most aspects of the mini-ROV systems consisted of off- the-shelf components delivered with VideoRay?s Pro 4 Port Security configuration. However, for this contract Tritech Altimeters, and Desert Star Systems Long Baseline transponders were integrated, along with VideoRay later- al thrusters. This involved software additions to the VideoRay Cockpit software through the use of its Software Development Kit SDK. In completing the inte- gration of these accessories, VideoRay?s Protocol Adapter and Modifier (PAM) module, which allows several acces- sories to share the same 485 bus used to control the sub- mersible, played a critical role. The Pro 4 ROVs complement the capabilities of tools like the Remus 100 AUV from Hydroid, SeeByte SeeTrack, and the Navigator from Shark Marine. VideoRay will be further enhancing operational effective- ness through development partnerships with equally inno- vative companies such as SeeByte. MTR#2 (66-81):MTR Layouts 2/22/2012 10:17 AM Page 78

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