Project Description

Electromechanica, Inc. has teamed with the researchers of the Marine Fisheries Field Research Group to develop the Underwater Vision Acquisition System (UVAS). UVAS is an integrated underwater camera, uplink and software system to survey a variety of marine fisheries species including pectinidae or scallops. This system uses an array of underwater cameras to capture images of the sea floor to depths of 600 ft. (183m) or 100 fathoms. The primary camera has a 6K ultra high resolution and the ancillary cameras are full HD. In addition to cameras the system provide high intensity LED lighting and in situ acquisition of depth and temperature. All data and video is fed up to the ship via a 10Gb fiber optic link to provide real time data. Our custom NI Labview software displays all images to the scientists and records them to a database for subsequent analysis. The system is GPS enabled to log data with position and time stamps. This new system represents a leap forward over existing analog cameras or remotely operated digital still cameras by providing scientists with the tools they need for efficient, reliable data collection. Electromechanica, Inc. is a National Instruments Alliance Partner