In underwater inspection, there is a need for sensors that can determine the structure of an asset. Usually represented as a 3D digital point cloud, these measurements are used for engineering calculations, maintenance planning, and ROV localization. The most prevalent technology in this field is sonar, and high frequency multi-beam sonar systems are capable of capturing complete 3D digital point-cloud representations of underwater environments. There are however physical limitations to the resolution capability of these technologies for understanding small yet important features of structures such as cracks and erosion in concrete structures or welds and dents in metallic marine infrastructure. Underwater laser scanners are not affected by the same physical principles as sonar and have the ability to capture details of underwater assets that were previously unobtainable. Underwater laser scanners provide several clear advantages over sonar systems at relatively short ranges. The measurement resolution is multiple orders of magnitude higher, enabling very dense point clouds and laser ...
Jason Gillham of 2G Robotics participated in the Underwater Measurements session of the 2011 SPAR International Conference. His presentation focused on using combining Underwater Laser Scanner data with 3D Underwater Sonar data to obtain a complete understanding of an asset. A recorded video version of his presentation can be viewed below.
2G Robotics is attending Ocean Business 2011 in Southampton UK and sharing booth space with Atlantas Marine. Come and visit us at Booth "S7". We will have a continuous live demonstrations of the ULS-100 Underwater Laser Scanner in our demonstration tank. This is a great opportunity for us to meet if we have not already.
When performing subsea construction, understanding current or as-built dimensions is critical for further work. Incorrect and incomplete information regarding the status of the subsea asset will result in errors, delays and additional costs. Increasing the level of certainty regarding the dimensions of an asset during or in advance of a construction project will prevent undesirable consequences resulting from assumptions and guesses. This is particularly true for major assets such as offshore platforms. In some cases, significant cost savings can be realized by extending the life of a platform by retrofitting the structural members to ensure they can withstand the necessary loading. 2G Robotics was contacted about a project to extend the life of an offshore platform where bracing was required at structural nodes. Uncertainty regarding the current geometry of the platform meant that the bracing could not be fabricated based on existing information. An accurate and current assessment of the geometry at the structural nodes was required and ultimately provided using the 2G Robotics ULS-100 underwater laser scanner. Solution The 2G Robotics ULS-100 underwater laser scanner is ideally suited for close range, highly accurate measurements. Working with the engineering contractor ...
Underwater Laser Scanner Deployed in Antarctica Provides Insights to Early Life on Earth The Geology Department of the University of California Davis is conducting research into the early life on earth through funding from NASA Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology. The oldest fossils of life consist of stromatolites, which are millimetre to meter high structures created by the growth of bacteria. The shapes of stromatolites reflect both environmental and biological processes. Research is being conducted on the bacterial structures in ice-covered lakes in Antarctica because they have similar shapes to fossil bacterial communities. Using the ULS-100 Dr. Dawn Sumner and her team from UC Davis and the SETI Institute were able to successfully capture digital 3D models of the structure of these organisms. With this data her team quantitatively defined the shapes of the living bacterial communities for comparison with fossilized specimens. ULS-100 Deployed in Challenging Environment The team arrived in Antarctica in mid October 2010 and during ...
Assessing damaged assets to determine the optimal course of action can save thousands of dollars in unnecessary replacements and repairs. This can be accomplished by performing FEA (Structural Analysis) and CFD (Flow Analysis) on the asset before taking any further action. The ULS-100 Underwater Laser Scanner provides asset owners and engineers with a complete understanding of their asset by quickly capturing thousands of measurements, ensuring safe continued operation of the asset. A submerged pipe section was scanned using the ULS-100 allowing FEA and CFD analysis to be performed on the section. With this information an accurate determination of the optimal course of action could be determined. Using the ULS-100 for Damaged Pipe Analysis The ULS-100 when deployed should be set into position in front of the damaged section of pipe. A high resolution 3D scan of the section of pipe visible to the scanner is captured. By taking multiple scans from all sides of the underwater pipe, a complete 360 degree model of the outer surface of the damaged section can be created.
2G Robotics will be performing live demonstrations of the ULS-100 Underwater Laser Scanner at the Canadian Underwater Conference. This conference will take place at the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel on October 24th to 26th. Come and visit us at booth 11 and we discuss your underwater measurement needs.
When responding to the threat of explosive devices, the need to very quickly ascertain the information required to classify this threat is critical. Simply observing the device through video does not always provide enough information to adequately determine the ideal course of action. In conjunction with the Niagara Regional Police Service and ASI Group of St. Catharines, 2G Robotics captured scans of a limpet mine, a grenade and a hand gun. The ULS-100 Underwater Laser Scanner is designed for obtaining high precision underwater measurements of submerged and flooded assets. This system is a tool to allow an asset owner to have a more complete understanding of their asset than they can obtain with existing technology. By obtaining further information about an asset, fewer assumptions are required. For example, by having measurement information of an underwater IED or mine, security personnel can more quickly and with higher certainty ...
High detail underwater measurements are critical for underwater archaeologists when documenting history. These measurements help archaeologists date artifacts, helping them to determine the age and origin of a ship wreck and ultimately determine the name of the ship. In order to completely understand an artifacts geometry, many measurements are required, taking hours for the archaeologists to collect and there is still the potential that measurements can be missed. The ULS-100 Underwater Laser Scanner captures thousands of measurements per second of any underwater structure or object. These measurements create a complete 3D model of the item being scanned, digitally preserving the artifact for measurements to be taken virtually at any time and even allowing replicas to be accurately manufactured. How the ULS-100 will help 2G Robotics teamed up with Dr. Simon Spooner, President and Principal Investigator for the nonprofit Anglo~Danish Maritime Archaeological Team (ADMAT), to demonstrate the capability of this technology for artifact modeling. Maritime archaeologists from the Team are using the laser scanner to produce highly accurate rendered 3D models of the concretions. Concretions are iron objects which have been under water and have formed a “concrete” like shell around the artifact as a result of the chemical reaction of iron and ...
2G Robotics has developed a set of libraries and a user interface for the Linux operating system. Now when performing high detailed underwater inspections of bridges, dams and other underwater infrastructure users have a choice of operating platform. AUV Integration The high precision measurement capability of the laser scanner makes it an ideal sensor for use with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). As the use of AUVs for close range and high detail inspection increases, the benefits of using sonar for navigation and mapping diminish. Sonar is excellent for measuring over long distances particularity in high turbidity (murky) water. However, since the acoustic pulse diverges as it travels through the water, it is not capable of the resolution that laser scanning can achieve. In addition, the speed of sound in water is far slower than that of light. The ULS-100 captures over a thousand measurements per second. This high update rate increases the localization confidence level meaning that the position of the vehicle can be determined with less ...
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