When it comes to underwater inspections, surveys, and 3D modeling, conventional wisdom says you need highly specialized, expensive camera payloads. But what happens when you push a reliable, general-purpose vision camera beyond its intended limits?
Recently, UK-based mapping and modeling specialists 3dMB Ltd decided to find out.
The team at 3dMB was using our exploreHD camera on their BlueROV2 Heavy. Primarily designed to serve as a robust, low-latency camera for piloting, navigation, and general situational awareness, the exploreHD is a staple for operators needing a clear view of their surroundings. However, as a test, 3dMB wanted to see if this standard piloting camera could handle the rigorous demands of an underwater photo mosaic.
The results were nothing short of incredible.
As you can see in the generated mosaic, the imagery is strikingly detailed. The composite image seamlessly captures a sunken vessel resting alongside a series of wooden grid structures and scattered debris on the seabed.
What makes this achievement truly remarkable is what the setup lacked. This highly detailed mosaic was captured:
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In murky, low-visibility water conditions.
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With zero post-production color correction. The natural, high-quality colors seen in the mosaic were achieved straight out of the box, processed entirely onboard the camera.
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Without the use of any external lights.
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Without high-bitrate video formats (standard H.264)
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Without a global shutter (the exploreHD utilizes a rolling shutter).
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Without our specialized, distortion-free Aquagon optics.
Despite these constraints, the exploreHD proved its immense value, capturing crisp, cohesive data that mapping software could easily stitch into a high-quality seabed map. It stands as a testament to the baseline engineering of DWE cameras and the skill of the 3dMB team.
Pilot Perspective during Image Capture
Stock BlueROV2 camera on the main window, exploreHD (used for image capture) on the bottom left corner.Full video can be seen here.
Scaling Up for Specialized Operations
While the exploreHD proves to be a highly capable tool out of the box, our specialized payloads are designed to build on this foundation for dedicated surveying tasks.
For operators looking to optimize their photogrammetry and 3D modeling, moving to the stellarHD paired with Aquagon optics provides distortion-free imaging. Utilizing a global shutter eliminates motion blur during fast transects, and high-bitrate imaging formats ensures maximum image retention. Combined with our new high-intensity strobe lights to freeze frames and cut through backscatter, operators can capture millimeter-accurate data even in the harshest subsea environments.
Whether you are using the exploreHD for robust navigation and spontaneous mapping, or equipping a dedicated survey class vehicle, DeepWater Exploration has the tools you need.
To learn more about the exploreHD or our lineup of advanced survey cameras and strobe lighting, visit us at www.dwe.ai.
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