WHAT UNIQUE FEATURES DO WE OFFER?

Lightweight, Low Drag Tether: The power source of the Deep Trekker is onboard the vehicle itself, allowing it to take advantage of a low-drag, minimal diameter tether. With its neutrally buoyant tether (5mm-6mm depending on options), the power is completely used by the unit, and NOT in dragging the heavy tether through water. High strength fibers are integrated into the polyurethane tether so that the robots can be managed without the need for additional leads.

Patented Pitching System: Using our unique internal pitching system, Deep Trekker underwater drones are able to move in every direction using only horizontally-mounted thrusters. The pitching system allows the pilot to orient the outer body of the robot through the vertical arc so that the thrusters are driving the unit in the desired direction.

Fully Integrated Viewing & Control: Heavy control boxes, arduous software and extra power requirements can be a thing of the past using our fully integrated super-bright-screen controller. By far the easiest and simplest solution to piloting, the gaming-style controller comes complete with a super-bright, sun-light readable 5.6″ screen for video and information overlay. An additional control box with full PC capability for SONAR, USBL and sensors can also be added.

360 Degree Viewing: With the 360 window paired with the 270 degree camera sweep and the 180 degree pitch angle, Deep Trekker underwater drones can see in front, behind, above, below and all points in between using only one HD, low-light camera. All systems come complete with an LED lighting system that tracks with the camera.

Modular Add-Ons: At Deep Trekker versatility is critical to innovation and growth. Our family of ROVs can be integrated with a broad range of add-ons to suit many different needs. Multibeam imaging sonar is perhaps one of the most important tools to add to ROVs, greatly improving their capabilities in many applications, such as dangerous and arduous search and recovery missions, and inspections in difficult to reach and confined spaces. Sonar can provide visibility in murky or zero-visibility environments, which can make these challenging missions easier and safer to conduct. In some cases they would not even be possible without the use of sonar.

QUALITY? IT MATTERS!

All of Deep Trekker underwater drones are built to last. Each model is constructed of sturdy cast aluminum, anodized and expoxy coated for corrosion resistance. Its unique spherical design has inherent strength, and offers no maintenance thrusters, making the durability of our robots unmatched. If your project or application evolve past the capabilities of your underwater drone, we offer various attachments to enhance its functionality and extend its lifespan.

Who Uses Underwater Drones?

The Navy has been central to the creation and innovation of underwater drone technology. The modern commercial industry has continued this tradition, and an underwater drone is useful for a large variety of commercial interests.

Gas and oil companies often use them to explore areas that are being considered for drilling and to check those already being drilled at. Oceanic research foundations and organizations use underwater drones for searching and analyzing the seafloor.

Those with infrastructure underwater also use them. Drones are used to monitor pipes that lay underwater and help provide oil and other essential services to society. These drones are durable enough for multiple deployments.

The aquaculture industry is using underwater drones for a more efficient performance of net inspections, lighting, feeding, trouble shootig and stock monitoring. The use of underwater drones has proven to be a cost effective way to ensure healthy fish crop, efficient harvest and environmental protection.

In commercial diving and inspections, divers' safety is top priority and underwater drones allow them to perform inspections in enclosed spaces, including tanks, pipes and intake structures without the risks associated to the job.

As technology continues to progress, underwater drones are continuing to evolve. Accessibility to them has caused their use to rise. They are expanding into all manners of ocean-based industries.

In Deep Trekker we have indetified two main type of personas the Hobbyst and the Professional

THE HOBBYIST

With an increased interest in the ocean by many people, and the increased availability of once expensive and non-commercially available equipment, underwater drones have become a popular hobby amongst many. Whether you are an avid photographer/videographer or just curious about what lays beneath the waves, there is an underwater drone out there for you! The ROV DTG3 Expert and ROV DTG3 Smart offer the complete package for underwater observation for the hobbyist. If you're looking to discover historic shipwrecks, or participate in recreational scuba diving, the DTG3 ROV series offers 4k video and camera capabilities directly to your handheld controller, depth rated to 150 meters.

A hobbyist can use ROVs for a variety of applications, such as:

• Underwater Exploration (including marine life, coral reefs, and underwater formations)
• Underwater Photography and Videography
• Wreck Diving and Exploration
• Data Recording (such as for inspections or environmental monitoring)

THE PROFESSIONAL

The best suited underwater drone for "the professional" is the DTG3 Navigator ROV and its bigger brother, the REVOLUTION ROV - used for ocean floor exploration or inspections at depths that divers are often unable to reach. A working class underwater drone, for example, acts as a safe alternative for divers, often used for offshore inspection projects, military and search & rescue missions, and deep archaeological investigations. For example, a vessel’s structural integrity, potential transferring of invasive species, or contraband smuggling, demands periodic inspections of a vessel’s hull during transit and when entering port. Deep Trekker underwater drones help mitigate the risk to said work.

There is a broad range of uses for ROVs in professional spaces. Some applications a professional might use ROVs for can include:

• Offshore Oil and Gas Industry (used for inspections, maintenance, and repair tasks on underwater infrastructure, such as pipelines, wellheads, and subsea equipment.)
• Hydroelectric and Dam Inspections (can assist in identifying potential issues, such as cracks, sediment buildup, or structural damage)
• Military and Defence (used by the US Navy for mine countermeasures such as explosive ordnance disposal, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, salvage and recovery, etc.)
• Search and Recovery (used to help police, fire, and first responder teams find missing persons, drowned victims, weapons, contraband, ect.)
• Aquaculture (can help with fish monitoring, net inspections, feed monitoring, water quality sampling, etc.)
• Infrastructure (such as inspections of sewer and wastewater pipelines, hydroelectric dams, underwater cables, etc.)
• Scientific Exploration and Archaeology (used to explore underwater archaeological sites, investigate underwater geology, conduct geological surveys, gather valuable data, capture images, collect samples, conduct biological surveys, map underwater ecosystems, observe marine life behavior in their natural habitats, and recover artifacts from submerged locations.)

What Advantages Do Underwater Drones Have?

Compared to deploying divers, underwater drones are quite safe. Those who operate the drone can sit in the safety and comfort of a control room. Using drones can also increase the safety of divers who are accompanying them, by keeping a steady eye out for any potential danger.

The best underwater drone is one that can achieve all of these missions on a consistent basis. Deep Trekker produces commercial grade underwater drones. Their drones can fulfill a variety of missions without risking lives to do it.

Another key advantage of using underwater drones is the time they can stay underwater. Scuba tanks last for one hour in water that’s not deep or choppy. While some tanks arrangements can prolong this, the more activity the diver has to do, the more oxygen they use up.

Drones don’t need oxygen and operate off of battery power. This allows them to stay functioning for hours on end without the need to recharge. This can provide a worksite with constant monitoring, and a drone can check far more of a pipeline or the seafloor than a diver could ever hope to.

Underwater drones can also scale based upon the needs of the job at hand. If a fully functional ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) isn’t required, you don’t have to spend the money to get one. The DT Pod acts as an underwater drone camera with no need for any other frills and add-ons.

This means that drones can address the concerns of a mission without risking lives. You can scale your purchase to the task at hand instead of needing to have a diver certified in a wide array of underwater profiles.

Deploying drones doesn’t require expensive insurance and contracting costs. Some drones can be deployed by a single individual off of any boat. You don’t need to have a crew or an expansive team to operate them, thus reducing operating costs considerably.

Underwater Drones Are Here to Stay

In the modern era, underwater drones have been everything from rescuers to repair technicians. They have been at the center of diplomatic incidents and undersea disasters. The humble underwater drone, which began nearly 70 years ago, continues to make itself useful in all areas of ocean work.

Like all areas of drone technology, the underwater drone is here to stay. They continue to advance the understanding of the ocean. Without underwater drones, the oceans of the world would be far less explored and far less accessible than they are to us today.

Underwater drones might even find life on other planets. They remain one of the most exciting and energetic technological creations that humanity has ever deployed. From the depths of the ocean to outer space, the world is using drones more than ever.

Getting the right underwater drone is important for any endeavor. If you’re going to use an underwater drone, contact us at Deep Trekker. Don’t risk money and lives unnecessarily, trust in the technology that is changing the world.