How deep can the ROV dive? Answering your 7 most asked questions!

Published: Friday, September 30, 2022

Words by Anupama Pantheeradiyil / Senior Marketing & Support Specialist

Underwater ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) are drones that allow users to see beneath the sea. It is used in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes in different industries. ROVs have been in the market for quite some time, but the technology is fairly new and still unknown to many. One of our aims has been to make people aware of this technology and its advantages in many use cases in different industries.

We are often asked questions like how easy the Blueye ROV is to operate, how deep it can dive, and how the cameras are different in each Blueye drone. In this article, we'll explain the technical basics of underwater ROVs and, more specifically, how the Blueye ROV is operated by answering the most common questions we receive.

Guide

Answering your most asked questions about Blueye ROVs

We provide frictionless customer experience for professional underwater inspections. And we help our customers evaluate conditions, perform work, follow regulations, report to stakeholders, and increase safety for critical operations. The Blueye drones are easy to control and operate. It only takes minutes to connect and deploy the drone, which makes it a great tool for everyday tasks and operations.

We have gathered some commonly asked questions. Here are some of them:

1. How deep can the ROV dive?

How deep the ROV can dive depends on the model. The Blueye X1 ROV is rated to 150 m (500 ft), the X3 Ultra to 305 m (1000 ft) and the X7 to 500 m (1650 ft). All models are pressure tested for frequent deep dives.

2. How is the ROV operated?

The ROV is connected to the surface unit with a light and robust tether. The ROV is operated by connecting it to the Blueye App on iOS or Android and is controlled using an Xbox controller. The ROV can also be operated with touchscreen. Blueye Observer App allows multiple people to connect to the drone and view the video stream simultaneously. Most of the time, people see ROVs diving for the first time during our meeting.

The Blueye ROV system setup Illustration: Blueye Robotics

3. What camera is on the ROV?

The camera depends on the model: the X1 has a light-sensitive Full HD 1080p wide-angle lens, while the X3 Ultra and X7 both carry a 4K UHD HDR camera. Read more about the Blueye cameras.

Photo taken during an harbour inspection using the Blueye X3 Photo: Blueye Robotics

4. What current can it handle?

Blueye ROV is designed for diving under challenging conditions. Operational in up to 2 knots current. But by integrating DVL to the Blueye X3, it is possible to lock the ROVs position in the water making it much easier to perform inspections in strong currents.

Auto altitude — Auto-altitude: another control mode enabled by the DVL, making it possible to maintain a desired distance to the seabed while diving at different depths.

The Blueye X3 with a DVL in station keeping mode. No user input is needed to keep the position.

5. Is it easy to perform maintenance and service?

Our ROVs are built to last, and we rarely have to perform service on the 1000+ units out in the market. We have also created the Blueye Help Center, where you can find support articles, FAQs, video tutorials, and illustrated guides to help you perform self-service and solve issues independently. Clean it in freshwater once you are done diving in salt water.

You can do maintenance work easily — You can easily do maintenance work on site. Photo: Blueye Robotics

6. What is the dive time using the Blueye smart battery?

Diving for up to 2 hours is possible using the standard battery. Our new high-capacity battery will allow you to have continuous operations for up to 5 hours with normal runtime.

7. How long is the tether?

The tether or cable with the drone in a standard package is 150m long. But you can order a 75m or 250m tether based on your use case. Upon request, we also make tethers that are 500m long.

See more FAQs in our Help Center!

Are you curious about our ROVs? Book a live demonstration!

It’s very simple and easy to book a demo with us. You can reach out to us directly by emailing contact@blueye.no or by filling in a form on our webpage. No matter which part of the world, you will be able to watch the inspection on your computer. By combining Microsoft Teams' power with the Blueye App, it is possible to conduct remote inspections where internal and external parties can collaborate in real time.

Screenshot of Microsoft Teams meeting with live footage from a Blueye Pro underwater drone. — Screenshot of Microsoft Teams meeting with live footage from a Blueye X3 underwater drone.

Our drone operator will stream the drone footage directly to a Microsoft Teams meeting. It is possible to share the invite and add more people. We had close to 70 people in one of our demos. Participants can communicate with the operator and amongst each other, making the inspection a collaborative effort, leading to better and faster decisions.

Once the live streaming of the demonstration is over, it is possible to receive a dive report created by the Blueye App. The App can generate an inspection report as a PDF, a Word document, or a CSV file, providing an easy and efficient system for sharing the collected data.

Example report from Blueye App Photo: Blueye Robotics

Since the pandemic's beginning, we have done more than 100 digital demonstrations on Microsoft Teams (and it’s still very popular)! In these meetings, we cover your inspection needs and smart use of ROVs, where you and your team can watch the live demo from remote locations.

You and your team can watch the Blueye drone dive with one of our drone experts. The footage will be streamed directly through Microsoft Teams. Get in touch to request a digital demonstration with us!