{"id":1542,"date":"2023-10-30T22:53:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T22:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forcys.com\/?p=1542"},"modified":"2024-05-02T16:30:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T16:30:01","slug":"dont-compromise-on-the-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forcys.com\/us\/dont-compromise-on-the-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t compromise on the camera"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Discovery is a revolutionary new underwater camera system from Forcys technology partner Voyis<\/a> that is changing the way we understand the underwater domain. In an interview with Luke Richardson VP for Sales and Marketing at Voyis, we discuss the origins of the Discovery, the challenges faced in its development, and the new optical payloads that are helping to transform our understanding of the underwater world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discovery<\/a> was designed to remove the compromise between piloting and inspection cameras. Traditional underwater robotic systems (ROVs) have separate camera systems for piloting and inspection. Piloting cameras are designed with low latency in mind, which compromises the video and data quality of the camera to ensure the pilot has rapid response time. Whereas, inspection cameras provide high quality optical video and imagery, but are not trusted to provide low latency piloting capabilities, limiting the payload capacity for ROVs, particularly smaller platforms. Discovery Vision Systems consolidate these two functions into a single camera system. This gives operators access to high-quality imaging, low latency video feed, and, in the case of the Stereo variant, real-time depth perception, all from a single camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke Richardson explains, \u201cNew optical payloads are providing us with unprecedented insights into the underwater domain. The Discovery’s camera system, for example, uses a mix of high-quality optics and focus, combined with image enhancements done at the edge to generate actionable subsea datasets in real-time. This allows operators to see and understand the underwater world in a new way. It hasn\u2019t been easy. One of the biggest challenges was developing a camera system that could meet the requirements for an effective subsea navigation and inspection tool, while fitting on a small inspection-class ROVs. Discovery Vision Systems are powered with the latest developments in computing capability to minimize the electronic stack, while still performing advanced corrections essential to deliver a superior inspection camera. In addition to optimizing the electronics to get the most out of the camera internals, the system also utilizes a 130\u00b0 x 130\u00b0 domed lens with full 4K resolution and crisp focus to provide platforms with increased situational awareness through piloting operations. Integrating this incredible field of view within the Discovery size limitations required mastery from Voyis\u2019 design team. The development of the Discovery tackled the challenges and as a result the quality and capability of the system met the need of our objective, helping humans see the depths like we see the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In defense applications cameras have a critical role to play in providing improved situational awareness by helping to identify IEDs and mines, supporting autonomous manipulation tasks and obstacle avoidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advanced optical and processing technology readily accessible<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discovery Vision Systems from Voyis use the Data Distribution Service (DDS) architecture to provide users with access to all the data they need to make informed decisions and perform inspections. DDS is a standard protocol that allows different systems to communicate with each other and share data in a real-time and efficient manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d like to know why we would want to use DDS? It means we can provide the user with a number of outputs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n