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TechnologyWhat the equipment actually does, and when it matters.
Most specification sheets list capabilities without saying which ones change an outcome. This page goes the other way: what each technology is for, when it earns its cost, and which of the brands we carry have it.
Three questions decide almost every specification
Depth is rarely the deciding factor, even though it is usually the first thing asked. These three matter more.
Can you see?
If visibility is poor, camera specification is close to irrelevant and sonar becomes the primary sensor. This single question changes the whole build.
Do you need to know where you were?
Footage tells you something is wrong. Positioned footage tells you where, and lets you come back next year and compare. That is navigation, not imaging.
Do you need to measure, or only look?
Measurement changes the vehicle, the payload and the price. Deciding it early avoids buying twice.
Four ways of getting a sensor into the water
The first decision is not which brand - it is which of these four the job actually calls for.
ROVs
A tether carries power, real-time control and live video. The right answer whenever a human has to make decisions during the inspection, or intervene.
ROV platforms → UntetheredAUVs & USVs
Pre-programmed missions with no tether to manage. Suits large-area survey and coverage a cabled vehicle cannot reach.
Autonomous systems → AcousticSonar & positioning
Seeing without light, and knowing where you were when you saw it. Imaging and scanning sonar, echosounders, altimeters and tracking.
Sonar catalogue → PayloadsSensors & payloads
What turns a vehicle into a survey tool - positioning, samplers, grippers, lights, measurement and water quality sensors.
Sensors & payloads →ROV or AUV? An ROV is tethered and the tether carries power, control and live video - preferred for inspection needing real-time human judgement or intervention. An AUV runs untethered on a planned mission, which suits wide-area survey. Most inspection work is ROV work; route and area survey is where AUVs earn their place.
Eight things that live inside the platform
These are the specifications that actually separate one vehicle from another. Understanding the stack is what lets you match capability to the operational problem instead of to a price.
4K UHD & HDR imaging
Ultra-high-definition video with HDR capture ensures accurate colour and detail in difficult underwater light - which is what makes corrosion detection and regulatory-grade documentation possible rather than merely photogenic.
Imaging sonar & multibeam
Visibility in zero-visibility turbid water - detecting structure, objects and hazards beyond camera range. Essential for search operations, large structure survey and navigating silted environments.
DVL & inertial navigation
A Doppler Velocity Log enables station-keeping in current - holding precise position for measurement and systematic survey. Inertial navigation adds 3D autonomous path planning without GPS.
Smart measurement & laser scaling
Non-contact millimetre-precision measurement of corrosion, structural dimensions and material loss, without touching the asset. Removes the measurement uncertainty in thickness assessment and damage quantification.
AI-assisted inspection
Machine learning models detect net damage, identify corrosion patterns, track divers, avoid collisions and enhance image clarity in turbid water - reducing operator workload and improving detection consistency.
Cloud-based data management
Report generation, fleet management, remote expert review and mission planning from a browser. Automated reporting removes the manual data-sorting step, which is where most post-inspection time actually goes.
Wireless underwater communication
Acoustic and optical systems enabling tether-free or extended-range operation - critical inside large enclosed tanks, around aquaculture cages, and anywhere tether management is the thing actually limiting the work.
Manipulators & tooling
Grippers and multi-function manipulators enable sample collection, object retrieval, valve operation and light intervention - extending the vehicle from pure observation to actually doing something.
Optical & acoustic positioning
Knowing the vehicle's actual position relative to the structure, not just its heading. This is what converts a series of inspections into a measurable rate of deterioration rather than a photo album.
Measurement & inspection technologies
Not everything that needs inspecting is under water. These are the technologies behind the instrument side of the catalogue.
Ultrasonic testing
Measuring what is inside or behind something without opening it - whether a suppression cylinder is actually full, whether a hatch cover seals, whether a compartment is watertight. Readings that stand up in a survey report.
Ultrasonic instruments → Acoustic imagingAcoustic cameras
Making sound visible. An array of microphones locates compressed air, gas and vacuum leaks on screen, then puts a leak rate, an annual cost and a CO₂ figure against each one - which turns a survey into a funded repair list.
Acoustic cameras → AccessTelescopic inspection
Getting a camera or sensor onto structure at height without scaffolding, rope access or a confined-space entry permit. The technology is mechanical rather than electronic, and it removes a whole category of risk.
CSpect ALTUM →Repair & surface technologies
Inspection tells you what is wrong. These are the technologies that do something about it.
Cold-cure epoxy
Chemical rather than thermal repair - no hot work permit, no gas-freeing, no pre-heating. Cartridge application fixes the mix ratio, removing the most common cause of failure. Wet-applied grades cure under water.
Epoxy Solutions → PreparationMechanical surface preparation
Needle and deck scaling to bare metal where abrasive blasting is impractical - which, inside a tank at sea, it usually is. Vibration-damped handles are what make a full shift of it legal as well as bearable.
Surface-prep tools → PreparationVapour abrasive blasting
Blasting with far less dust and containment than dry grit, which frequently makes it possible to achieve a proper blast standard somewhere you otherwise could not blast at all.
Graco EcoQuip →Three tools that answer this faster than reading
Free, no sign-up, and each returns something you can put into a requisition.
ROV Finder
Depth, task, budget and portability in, a shortlist of matching platforms out - searched across every robotics brand we carry, not just one.
Match me to a system → EpoxyProduct Calculator
Four questions about the component and the damage returns the product, the quantity, the film thickness and the prep tooling.
Size a repair → Surface prepTool Selector
Substrate, coating and access conditions in, the right surface-preparation tool and cutter set out.
Find the right tool →What people ask when specifying
How much depth rating do we actually need?
Almost always less than people specify. Entry-level systems reach roughly 100–200 m, mid-range professional systems 200–305 m, and advanced systems 350 m and beyond. For most infrastructure, aquaculture, shipping and port work, 100–300 m is sufficient. Paying for depth you will never use is the most common way to overspend here.
Do we need sonar, or will a camera do?
Decide it by your worst normal conditions, not your best. If visibility is routinely under a metre, sonar stops being an accessory and becomes the primary sensor - and a camera-led specification will disappoint. In clear water with good lighting, a camera-led build is usually the better value.
What does DVL actually buy us?
The ability to hold position. That matters in two situations: measuring something, which needs a stable frame, and returning to the same spot on a later survey so the two can be compared. If your work is one-off visual checks in slack water, it is a genuine cost you may not need.
Is AI-assisted inspection real or marketing?
Both, depending on the claim. The narrow, well-defined tasks work well - net damage detection, image enhancement in turbid water, collision avoidance. Broader claims about automated condition assessment deserve more scepticism. Ask us what a specific system's AI has actually been trained to detect, and we will tell you rather than repeat the brochure.
Can we add a technology later, or must we buy it now?
Depends heavily on the platform, and it is worth asking before you buy rather than after. Some vehicles have a payload rail and documented interfaces that make adding sonar or a DVL straightforward. Others are closed, and adding capability means a different vehicle. Tell us what you might want in two years.
Describe the job, not the specification
What you need to see or measure, in what conditions, and who will operate it. We will tell you which technologies actually matter for that job - and which ones you can leave off and save the money.
Thank you - that's with us.
We will come back to you within one working day. If it is urgent, call +45 6916 2400.