ROV / AUV Trends Market and Technology By Lukas

ROV market and technology trends Global ROV vehicle sales in 2010 totaled approximately $850 million. In 2010, oil and gas purchased approximately 50% of ROVs, while ROV sales for defense & security and scientifi c research equaled 25% for each sector. Market drivers for ROVs are offshore drilling, the security environment, and the need for ocean data. The prospect for offshore drilling varies by location, yet offshore exploration in Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Gulf of Mexico are expected to be strong. In the security market, ROVs are routinely used for forward observation, reconnaissance, and mine counter-measures by the military. ROVs will increasingly be adopted by organizations charged with ocean rescue and port security seeking effective tools for scanning and observation, including hull inspection. The need for data on the oceans is driven by the need for creating detailed maps for navigation and minerals extraction, particularly in the Arctic. The three market dynamics in the ROV market of particular note are 1) the growing market for mini and small ROVs driven, primarily, by their reduced cost and increased functionality; 2) the increasing number of sensors and robotics capable of being placed on vehicles; and 3) the reduction in cost of the platform relative to the cost of the instruments. The relative cost of instruments and platform is important to note because it indicates the maturation of the ROV technology. ROVs, although they remain highly sophisticated technology packages, have become adopted widely enough to expect continued cost reductions, or performance enhancements at the same cost. Four technology trends in ROVs can be identifi ed. The ROV industry is keenly aware of the need to simplify the interface between the ROV operator and the vehicle. Most ROVs in use have multiple screens for monitoring the ROV vehicle status (health), feeds from onboard cameras and video, robotic arm manipulation, and receiving feedback from data collection instruments. The trend is to simplify the interface by having information provided on one screen. The integration of multiple systems requires the development of software. ROV and instrument manufacturers are working to improve the integration of systems developed independently. This after-market integration between the platform and instrumentation is suboptimal. In the future, functional integration will be incorpoROV/AUV Trends Market and Technology By Lukas Brun