Indian maritime technology startup EyeROV has been awarded a INR470 million (US$5.29 million) contract to supply new remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to the Indian Navy.
Under the contract, EyeROV will supply the navy with examples of an ROV rated for operation at depths of up to 300 metres and fitted with dual HD/4K cameras with 10x zoom capability. The craft will perform underwater reconnaissance, surveillance, and monitoring.
Each ROV will be capable of sailing at three knots and can be operated via tether from a vessel of opportunity. A 6,000-lumen lighting system will provide adequate illumination for the onboard cameras to capture images even in murky waters.
Payload options for the craft include sidescan and imaging sonars, a gripper, a robotic arm, a Doppler velocity log, and an ultrasonic thickness gauge.
Control of the ROVs is via EyeROV's proprietary piloting software, wherein a customisable interface would provide operators with depth, orientation and navigation data as well as real-time camera feeds.