Hey, i hope someone will be willing to help a beginner. I am a biologist with extended experience in using air drones, documenting the behaviour of marine mammals. Now i moving into the ROV field. I want to use a ROV for making movies engaging the general public in protecting the oceans. I also am trying to create a part of my company where i focus on inspection tasks with the rov. That would be inspecting harbour walls, bridge foundations and making biological transects… Now i find the market to be impossible… I was set on getting the very off the shelf Fifish E-Go. Its seems very capable, it has a 4k camera and lots of manipulator accesories like water sampler, sediment sampler etc. BUT now i found the Bluerobotics, and it has a lot of strong points. I LOVE the open approach to the platform, the cage with multiple add on possibilities etc. Also it seems that adding sonars is mindblowingly cheaper on this platform which would be a big deal. I would like to be able to supply customers with data for 3d models of harbour walls in the future, but honestly i am not sure what add ons would be needed, but it sure seems that sonars and dvl solutions are cheaper for the Blue Robotics. What i am concerned about is the camera. The Fifish comes standard with 4k camera, this is a biggie for me. I does not need 4K BUT if its 1080 then it needs to be high quality. Anyhow I really hope someone can help. Is the bluerobotics just as capable as the E-G0 for inspection tasks, station hold, work in currents etc. Would you consider the BlueRobotics a professional platform … And finally is it possible to get other manipulators than the gripper … Hope someone will help a total beginner
Hi!
In short there is two ways to start:
Cheap, action ready system like Fifish, or Gladius from Chasing
Cheap, easy to start working and make money.
Quick learning, but also limited in functions.
Not for surveys or more complex projects.
One way is to start this way and try/learn, upgrade/buy new system later.
More complex open system like BlueRobotics.
Not necessary more expensive at entry, but more to learn and steap learning curve.
Almost unlimited expansion possibilities on the plattform hardware and software wise.
Professional almost like a workclass ROV.
Underwater resolution is seldom the primary camera question.
Its more of lighting for the type of project, field of view, light sensitibility, visibility in water etc.
There are 4K cameras compatible with BR to buy, or build yourself.
Search the forum “4k camera”
Grippers are also unlimited (only budget and weight/size)
An example from forum:
Hey Bo
Thx for the answer, it does kind of back my own “feeling” on the topic. For me the BlueRobotics platform surely seems much more open, and the development is awesome. What could swing me towards Blue is the much much lower price points of sonars, but thinking about it which I have done A LOT :0), I think the ready to action part of a Fifish is appealing to me. I need to focus on tasks and not building and electronics, in that way it surely is a tool for me.
It’s not about price to me, actually the fifish is at least as expensive, and I must say I also consider it just as “pro”, I am looking at the E-Go. But it is very obvious that it’s not at all an open system like the blue. I guess my path could be as you describe, start out with a Fifish, and later consider a blue if the need for sonars, dvl etc becomes more prominent.
Thx for the input, very valuable for me :0)
Kind regards
Jakob
Hi Jakob,
Also, the Fifish is 4K ready, Br2 is not !
Regards
Hi!
If you have the budget, an alternative is to have a distributor or integrator to build the system as your needs.
Also you could have them doing training with you, making the startup quicker and better.