Picture a drone—not an ordinary sky-high kind, but one that zips around underwater, inspecting boat hulls, maintaining fish farms, and helping cops find discarded weapons.
That’s exactly the submersible vehicle being produced by Oceanbotics of Irvine for the professional market.
The company’s SRV-8 model—an “underwater drone” to its maker—includes a highly maneuverable robotic “arm” grabber that lets an operator pick up objects and bring them back for inspection.
“It’s much more efficient than a diver,” said Oceanbotics Chief Executive Robert Jechart. “In many cases where before you used to use dive teams to do things underwater, you now put the drone first and see if the drone can do it.”
Jechart’s colleague, Geoff Dean, recently gave a full demonstration of the remotely operated vehicle, performing intricate turns and other maneuvers inside a huge tub of water at company headquarters on Barranca Parkway, near the city’s train station. A video link by cable lets the operator see exactly what’s going on down below.
Easy Driving
“The system almost balances itself with the proper algorithms,” Jechart said. “It’s very easy to drive. The easier it is, the more people will use it.”
Jechart said the company is rapidly closing in on selling its 100th SRV-8, and “we are working on a larger model which will be introduced by the end of the first quarter.”
Jechart ticks off the uses: sheriff’s departments searching nearby waters, rescuers and salvage crews checking out sunken boats and maintenance crews cleaning underwater fisheries. It’s also more efficient in dark waters deep below the surface and can be used with sonar technology to find things.
The City of San Diego is a customer and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has tested the unit, Jechart said.
Security Purposes
Inspecting the hulls of boats and ships is a big market for the underwater drones. Military officials can use them to be sure no explosives have been attached to hulls, and the Coast Guard can check for smuggled drugs.
The system works on a simple gaming controller and battery power to reduce the size of the cumbersome type of tether cable commonly used for live video. The SRV-8 can operate to depths of 300 meters—almost 1,000 feet—with a battery charge typically lasting four to six hours.
“With the drone I can turn … 360 (degrees),” he said of the device, made here in Irvine.
The basic system costs $35,000; a souped-up version can go for up to $85,000.
“We have exceeded our sales expectations,” Jechart said, noting a backlog of orders. The SRV-8 began shipping in August and “we finished the year with revenue above $1 million.”
Jechert said, “Revenue for 2020 will increase significantly.”
Increasing Revenue
The company’s big competitors for the underwater vehicle are VideoRay of Pottstown, Pa., and Teledyne Seabotix of the San Diego area, which Jechart said have gone after the very high-end market. Oceanbotics’ target is a “lower medium” buyer.
“If we see that the consumer market is ready, we’ll take a look at that,” he said. “Right now, there’s enough business on the professional market.”
Oceanbotics was formed in June 2017 as a division of Irvine’s RJE International Inc., which makes a variety of products for divers and boat owners. Jechart is majority shareholder of RJE.
