Profiles in New Technology: How a Set-and-Forget Underwater Camera is Changing the Game
There is a new way to conduct underwater imaging and data collection with minimal intervention. The Autonomous Timelapse System is a purpose-built solution for marine research, environmental monitoring, and offshore inspections. It is designed for short and extended deployments and provides high-resolution imaging, advanced scripting capabilities, and a rugged design that withstands deep-sea and shallow-water conditions. Its industry-first hibernation mode sets it apart, allowing for months or even years of continuous operation without draining battery life. Combined with an intuitive visual script builder, this system offers unmatched control over capture intervals, lighting, and exposure settings. Here’s a closer look at its advanced features, proven performance in the field, and the industries putting it to work.
Core Capabilities for Autonomous Imaging & Data Collection
Marine professionals face significant challenges in conducting effective battery-powered research and underwater monitoring. Limited battery options, operational uncertainties, and complex setups can hinder their ability to collect reliable, high-resolution data. Issues like lens biofouling and inefficient data workflows further complicate projects. The Autonomous Timelapse System tackles these issues head-on. It integrates the industry-leading Rayfin camera with optional LED and laser modules for precise imaging. The system includes pre-deployment status indicators, giving users confidence that the camera is ready before it enters the water. It captures 12.3-megapixel stills and 4K video with adjustable white balance, focus, and exposure settings, ensuring crisp imaging in varied underwater conditions. Each image is embedded with metadata, including date, time, and sensor data, simplifying post-processing and data organization.
Another highlight is customizable timelapse scheduling. The system’s visual script builder simplifies programming, allowing users to set capture intervals, lighting, and exposure settings easily. Enabling long-term time-lapse sequences helps researchers and industry professionals detect gradual changes that conventional monitoring might miss. The intuitive interface ensures a seamless setup, allowing users to create reliable automated scripts without requiring advanced technical expertise.
Its available hibernation mode is a game-changer. No other system offers this level of power efficiency. This feature maximizes battery life, allowing for deployments that stretch across days, months, or years without intervention. Combined with optional UV anti-fouling technology for deep-sea applications and mechanical wipers for shallow water, the system ensures clear, uninterrupted imaging.
Streamlining Data Management for Actionable Insights
Collecting data underwater is only the first step; organizing and processing it efficiently is just as crucial. The Autonomous Timelapse System is designed to streamline every stage of data management, ensuring that your insights are actionable and accessible. Data management is streamlined through integrated logging and pre-set directory templates that keep files organized. A web-based interface allows fast, secure data downloads and transfers, simplifying post-mission analysis and ensuring quick access to collected imagery. This system reduces the time spent handling files, whether managing large-scale research projects or targeted subsea inspections, so you can focus on making data-driven decisions.
Versatile Across Industries
Designed for flexibility, the system integrates with drop frames, landers, baited remote underwater video systems, and autonomous underwater vehicles. It serves a wide range of applications, including marine research, environmental monitoring, offshore inspections, and aquaculture. Scientists use it to monitor biodiversity, track species behavior, and analyze habitat changes. Environmental monitoring teams rely on it to assess pollution impact, climate shifts, and oceanographic conditions. Offshore industries employ it to inspect oil and gas infrastructure, subsea cables, and renewable energy installations. In aquaculture and fisheries, it helps assess fish populations, water quality, and ecosystem health.
Reducing Costs and Increasing Efficiency
By minimizing the need for frequent vessel trips and manual interventions, the Autonomous Timelapse System helps organizations cut costs. The ability to program the system for extended data collection means fewer retrievals and deployments, making it an efficient choice for long-term monitoring.
The system’s intuitive software and streamlined data management reduce the time required for image processing and analysis. Instead of navigating cumbersome file structures or dealing with inconsistent data, users can focus on extracting meaningful insights.
Field-Proven Results from Leading Institutions
The University of Washington and the University of Western Australia have both deployed the Autonomous Timelapse System in extensive marine research projects, demonstrating its reliability and effectiveness in extreme environments.
The University of Western Australia integrated the system into deep-sea observatories within Australia’s Marine Parks, using it to monitor ecosystems at depths exceeding 5000 meters. Over 18 months, the system continuously captured high-resolution images, delivering critical insights into marine snow dynamics, benthic activity, and seasonal environmental shifts. The ability to operate autonomously for such an extended period provided researchers with unprecedented data without the need for frequent retrievals. Read the full case study.
The Southern Hydrate Ridge time-lapse camera, part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Regional Cabled Array (RCA), maintained by the University of Washington, leveraged the system for long-term studies on marine biodiversity and habitat changes in the Pacific Ocean. Researchers focused on monitoring methane seep activity at the Southern Hydrate Ridge, a region known for its dynamic seafloor venting and gas-rich hydrate formations. The system continuously captured images to analyze fluctuations in seep intensity, hydrate stability, and interactions between methane seeps and surrounding marine life. By using the advanced scripting and hibernation mode, researchers ensured continuous monitoring while conserving battery power.
Ready to Support Your Mission
The upgraded Autonomous Timelapse System is available now and shipping worldwide to support the work of marine professionals and scientists.
