The ROV for Education
 VideoRay
brings the underworld to the surface, making it more accessible
to everyone.Train workers to perform operations
underwater with videos captured by VideoRay. Teach people
how to dive by bringing underwater video to students on
the surface. Count fish for environmental projects. Bring
your
non-diving spouse on your next dive trip. Students can
learn to execute underwater missions, get to know sea life,
and
use the VideoRay for cinematography.
Case Study | Related
Articles | Suggested Configurations | Related
video: "Recreational
Use" |
"Our science staff and I used the VideoRay units most extensively
this past summer in two classes, ROVs and Sea Technologies. In ROVs
class, students used the VideoRay units to fulfill mission objectives
they chose.
"Some projects were videographic in nature, and they got some
wonderful images of giant ocean sunfish, pelagic tunicates, as well
as hours of footage of nearshore habitats and fish behaviors. Other
projects were qualitative assessments of different habitats, kelp
forest fringes, sandy bottom communities, and rocky headlands.
"Our goal for them was to explore the challenges and rewards
of remote presence, and to compare commercial technologies against ROVs of their
own design and making from common materials.
"In Sea Technologies, students had a very specific task. The
ROV was only one of a host of technological aids used to locate a
target (a simulated bomb) in an unsurveyed area about 2500 square
meters varying in depths from 3 to 30 meters.
"We also ran a few night programs off our pier, students went searching with the ROV for sharks and rays while we played the movie JAWS under
the night sky for those waiting a turn! To say student response was energetic
and enthusiastic would be an understatement.
"Almost all of our kids are experienced snorkelers and most
are scuba divers. Two to three students used the unit at a time,
the banter of "follow that Garibaldi!" or "wait...wait...see
what's in that little cave over there" made for an exciting
experience.
"By and large our students were able to control the unit with
great satisfaction in reasonable wave and current conditions to a
depth of about 10 meters, and we modified our objectives to stay
within that range. Much beyond 10 meters, cable drag tended to frustrate
maneuvering in all but the best conditions.
"A small group of students experienced motion sickness when operating from a 26' boat. Operating from a comfortable station on our pier
provided a great balance between student enjoyment and exploration. Without
any room for doubt students loved working with the VideoRay and all their
friends who weren't in the class swear they're signing up for it next year.
We put quite a workload on each of our two units. They were in the water for 3-5 hours each day (8-16 deployments), five days a week, for six
weeks. Approximately 80 students had considerable time with the unit (30
minutes or more) and another 60-80 had passing turns at the helm.
"On the mechanical side of things we experience moderate dome
scratching from rock and barnacle impacts. Overall the units held
up well to kid use (occasionally synonymous with abuse) and management
issues rarely overshadowed the enjoyment students and staff had with
the units.
Thanks for your interest in our program. Please feel free to email us if we can aid in your development at all. Kids and ROVs are a natural match
and we'd like to see more kids experience the ocean through these units.
Brian Paavo,
Guided Discoveries
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For educational underwater viewing, we recommend the VideoRay
Scout or Explorer.
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