Specifications

Find a more detailed specification of the ExpROVer project.

Introduction

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are underwater vehicles used across several sea- and ocean-related industries, for fish management, research purposes, dangerous maintenance operations and several other tasks.

The VideoRay Pro 4
The VideoRay Pro 4. © Katemcgarry via Wikimedia Commons

The VideoRay Pro 4 (VP4) is the world’s most popular small underwater ROV. It incorporates the latest design and technology, making it stand out on the market as the most advanced, capable, and versatile small ROV.

With a maximum depth of 300m, the VP4 is controlled through an umbilical cord which directly connects it to a computer, which is used by the ROV to send data to the computer and to receive commands from it.

The VP4 is controlled through the VideoRay Cockpit software, developed by VideoRay, executable only on Windows - and unfortunately known to be liable to problems and bugs.

Finally, this software requires training, being complex and demanding elevated levels of prolonged concentration from its users to ensure the proper maneuvering of the VP4.

Positioning

In this section, the main problems and the project’s locality are described.

Problem Statement

The problem of operating a ROV or improving its functionality range
affects all business and research institutions which require underwater monitoring or operations
the impact of which is high labor costs, accidents’ susceptibility and error-proneness during operations
a successful solution would be the reduction of effort and inconvenience associated with operating a ROV, leading to lower expenses, higher efficiency and the enabling of new functionalities' creation.

Product Position Statement

For owners of the VRP4
Who want to control the VRP4 with either less specialized or more productive workers and have higher effectiveness in its operation
The ExpROVer is a software solution
That promotes a reduced workload and lower training requirements, offering several helper functionality and high accessibility to the ROV’s systems.
Unlike VideoRay’s Cockpit software
Our product will run on Linux, as well as Android, and will have several additional semi-autonomous features, such as object recognition and smart maneuvering.

Product overview

Features

  • FE# 1. Remote access to ROV through ROS
  • FE# 2. ROV control, anytime, anywhere, with any device with internet connectivity through a Web application
  • FE# 3. Specialized support for Android devices through an Android application
  • FE# 4. Several semi-autonomous maneuvers enablement
  • FE# 4.1. pre-programmed paths following,
  • FE# 4.1.1. straight line movement,
  • FE# 4.1.2. turn a given amount of degrees,
  • FE# 4.1.3. combinations of FE# 4.1.1. and FE# 4.1.2., and
  • FE# 4.1.4. movement in a straight line until a change is detected in the video feed.
  • FE# 4.2. automatic return to the surface, and
  • FE# 4.3. direction maintaining.
  • FE# 5. Built-in object detection and recognition systems.
  • FE# 6. Fully open-source code, providing the possibility of alteration to suit more specific needs or features

Needs

The table below describe the solution needs, their priorities, features and planned releases.

Need Priority Features Planned Release
Communication with VRP4 over ROS High FE# 1, FE# 6 Alpha release (3rd April)
Object and fish recognition Medium FE# 5 Alpha (3rd April) and Closed Beta (8th May) releases
Support for semi-autonomous maneuvers Medium FE# 4 Closed Beta (8th May) release
Control of ROV and leverage of the developed additional capabilities outside of Windows OS Medium FE# 1, FE #2, FE #4, FE #5, FE #6 Open Beta (22nd May) release
Remote control of ROV through an Android device Low FE# 1, FE# 2, FE# 3 Closed Beta (8th May) release

Business Requirements

To create the business model, various domains were succinctly described (following the model proposed on Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Criar Modelos de Negócio, 2011):

Clients
  1. Researchers
    2. Use ROVs for underwater research and experiments.
  2. Business owners
    3. Use ROVs for underwater operations and maintenance.
  3. IT-knowledgeable professionals
    4. Familiar with ROS, they seek to leverage and operate in a new environment.
  4. Hobbyists
    5. Owning ROVs, they aim to take maximum advantage of them.
Value proposals
  1. Higher operational efficiency
    2. Several helper functions reduce workload and concentration required to operate the ROV
  2. Costs reduction
    3. Less training required, fewer presential location requirements
  3. Higher flexibility in control options
  4. User mobility in ROV data monitoring from anywhere, at any time
Channels
  • Website for project advertisement
  • Open source repository
  • Social media
Client Relations Digital touchpoints-based communication
Profit sources
  • Sponsorships and subsidies
  • Donations
Key resources VideoRay Pro 4 ROV, communications, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, server, online application
Key activities
  1. Software development
    1. For promotional website
    2. For ROS back-end on the server machine
    3. For data analytics layer
    4. For the Web and Android front-end on the end devices
  2. Hardware integration
    1. VRP4 integration with a Linux server machine running back-end program and wireless connection to the end devices
  3. Graphical User Interface Design
Key partners VideoRay, universities and research institutes, fish farming and other underwater enterprises
Cost structures VideoRay Pro 4, labor costs, server and processing units cost

Other Product Requirements

Other product requirements are described bellow:

Requirement Priority Planned Release
Performance under environmental stressful conditions Low Open Beta (22nd May)
Security and data encryption Medium Open Beta (22nd May)
Near real-time ROV video analysis for object detection and recognition features High Closed Beta (8th May)
Dynamic path planning during maneuvers execution High Open Beta (22nd May)
Closed Backwards compatibility guarantee Low Open Beta (22nd May)
Meticulous usability practices to ensure great customer experiences High Closed Beta (8th May)
Detailed documentation of utilization practices in a User Manual High Alpha (4th April)

Project Risks

The following table presents the project's risks, and their proposed mitigating actions:

Risk Severity Probability Mitigation
Requirements alterations Medium Low Frequent meetings until a shared project vision is defined.
Delays and missed deadlines Medium-High Medium Continuous effort monitoring and personnel reassignment to critical condition tasks.n
Difficulties in integration High Medium Frequent meetings to normalize all communicating interfaces and overreaching architecture.
Rejected deliverables High Low Meticulous and incremental products and processes adjustment and improvement.
Insufficient client adhesion High Low Market and trends monitoring.
Different understandings of project vision Medium Medium Frequent meetings until a shared project vision is reached, with well-defined requirements and scenarios.
ROV malfunction High Low Onboard of new partners that will be able to contribute to the acquisition of a new ROV
Insufficient VideoRay documentation Medium-High Medium Consultation of other sources and experimentation.
Workforce shortage High Low Recruitment of other members to the team

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Open the MVP definition in a new tab.