Planet Ocean’s ecoSUB team has developed the ecoCAM, a brand new 4k video and still image camera that has been fully integrated into the ecoSUBm5-Power+ AUV system.
The camera system has been designed to provide still images and extremely high-quality video, whilst being an ideal solution for machine learning applications.
A 1.1” Sony IMX267 global shutter CMOS sensor, coupled with a Computar fixed 8mm lens provides high resolution, high frame rates and noise free image reproduction (8.85 MPix (4096 x 2160 px) at 33.0 fps).
The camera is reportedly an underwater first, running with Subsea USBC data transfer, to provide excellent data speed for video encoding on a Jetson Orin Nano computer.
The ecoCAM module is a compact unit, rated to 2,500m, suitable for ecoSUBm-series AUV platforms, and is mounted in a custom nose cone that allows the camera to be orientated from forward looking to downward looking for seabed imaging. Subsea lighting packages can be provided for low/zero light applications.
Onboard our ecoSUBm5-Power+ AUV platform, the ecoCAM can be coupled with side scan sonar, DVL and acoustic modem for underwater coms and USBL, if required.
New clients from the US and Germany intend to use the ecoCAM for machine vision applications, benefitting from the power of the Nvidia Jetson backseat computer, enabling edge computing. In one case the camera feed will be used with a navigation algorithm to pilot the vehicle into a docking station.
Planet Ocean and ecoSUB Robotics will be exhibiting at MATS in Southampton, in November this year.
