EyeROV technologies, a Kochi based company introduced India’s first underwater robotic drone – EyeROV TUNA, which can send real-time videos of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance. The drone was launched on September 14, 2018 and handed over to the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO.
Developed by Johns T Mathai and Kannappa Palaniappan P, the drone will be used by NPOL for research and development activities which in turn would result in a commercial product for defence purposes.
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Here are few interesting facts to know about aqua drone
- The robotic drone can be navigated up to a depth of 50 metres to take real-time HD video images with the help of attached camera, to examine ship hulls or undersea cables or bridge moorings.
- The underwater robotic drone could be a replacement for the current method of costlier and riskier manual inspection by divers.
- The remotely operated underwater vehicle, EyeROV TUNA, weighs less than 10 kilogram and can be used for inspection of ship hulls, ports, dams and nuclear power plants
- EyeROV is a light rover which can be easily accessed and controlled with the supporting attached and connected hardware such as laptops and joysticks.
- With a 2-knot cruise speed, 6000 lumens LED lights and a 3+ hour operation time, the TUNA is a promising equipment for defence, research and development activities.
