27 November 2020

India's EyeROV readies improved Tuna ROV

by Nishant Kumar

EyeROV, a startup funded by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), is looking to expand research and development (R&D) work on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for defence applications.

Kannappa Palaniappan, chief technology officer and co-founder at EyeROV, told Janes that the company is looking to evolve its EyeROV Tuna ROV with new capabilities.

EyeROV is eyeing defence applications with an improved version of Tuna remotely operated vehicle. (EyeROV)

The Tuna is a two-man-portable, inspection-class ROV designed for critical infrastructure inspection and underwater surveillance operations up to a depth of 100 m. The ROV measures approximately 0.4 m long, weighs around 15 kg, and features a modular design that can accommodate customised tool packages based on the mission requirement.

The ROV is equipped with four horizontal and one vertical thruster configuration that provides a cumulative thrust of 9 kgf to withstand surge and sway, as well as a cruise speed of 2 kt. The vehicle can be powered either by an external source or an onboard rechargeable battery that can provide an endurance of up to 3 hours.

It is fitted with various sensors and mission equipment, including a low-light 1,080 p high-definition camera, secondary digital zoom camera, two 1,500-lumen LED lamps, and navigation sensors such as accelerometer, depth sensor, gyroscope, and compass. The vehicle is also fitted with multiple safety checks such as leak indicators, system voltage, and internal temperature sensor.

The operator display unit features a 33 cm, sunlight-readable colour monitor with video overlay that displays heading, depth, tilt position, date, and time. The vehicle is integrated with an onboard Ethernet serial interface for transmitting real-time data.

EyeROV, a startup funded by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporati...

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