Omniscan 450 on BlueROV2

Hi, apologies if this has already been asked.

I am looking to build a BlueROV2 for both visual and acoustic data collection. I think we are looking to incorporate side scan sonar onto the build, but I noticed that the only sonars that BlueRobotics offers are the Ping2 echosounder, Ping360 Scanning Imaging Sonar, Sonoptix and DVL.

Can the Omniscan side scan sonar be used with the ROV? From the listing, it seems that this sonar is built with the BlueBoat in mind, but I didn’t know if that meant it couldn’t be used with the BlueROV2.

Thank you! I hope this question hasn’t already been asked. I found another post where someone tried to integrate the Omniscan, but it was never followed up.

Hi Andrew - the Omniscans are setup to be integrated with the BlueROV2. Heres a video I posted a while back using the 450 FS which works well. Check the Cerulean website for product instructions as I think the only guide on BlueRobotics is for the Blueboat integration. You will need to buy an ethernet switch to integrate with the BlueROV.

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Thanks so much! When you integrated the omniscan, did you purchase from the BR website or from Cerulean?

I purchased direct from Cerulean about 2 years ago as think it had only just been released.

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Absolutely Omniscan works great on the BlueROV!
And oh, by the way, here is a direct image quality comparison between Omniscan 450 FS and the Oculus M750d ($25k+). This was taken from the Blue ROV with both sonars mounted, simultaneous capture.

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See also recently released video: Omniscan 450 FS Imaging Sonar for the BlueRov2

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Hi, my apologies for leaving this thread the past couple of days. Thanks for the info! I’m going to follow up with BR and Cerulean to see if they have a guide to integrating it like for the BlueBoat.

EDIT: I realized the post from above has the guide.

Wow! Thanks for sharing these examples. The Omniscan looks great! I was wondering; was there any reason you went with the Oculus as opposed to the Sonoptix multibeam sonar that’s offered from BR? I am debating getting all of the sonars offered from BR as they have a pretty decent price point.

Also, one more thing. To mount the Omniscan, did you happen to purchase the mounting hardware offered on the BR/Cerulean website as in the video? Or, did you make your own mount?

In the video you linked, the integration is for the FS version. I guess I can follow up with Cerulean, but is SS built the same way? I guess I’m wondering what else I need to purchase to get everything integrated.

Thanks for all your info+expertise!

We were able to borrow the Oculus for the test so that’s why we showed that one compared to the Omniscan. Also it’s pretty much the industry standard for forward scanning sonars on small ROVs.

Btw, if it wasn’t clear, I am from Cerulean.

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Hi @tritonkeller -
The Omniscan SS is optimized for the BlueBoat, with the FS intended for ROV applications…

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Thanks for the reply. We are still interested in putting a SS sonar on the BlueROV2 as well as including a FS sonar. I figured that the Sonoptix would be a good FS sonar. Would you recommend a different solution for a SS+FS sonar combination?

Hi, thanks for the reply. I totally should have seen that you were from Cerulean. I appreciate all the info you’ve passed along! I think we’re looking to just outfit this ROV with a full suite of sonar devices and figured that the stuff offered from BR/Cerulean would be the best bang-for-your-buck.

Hi @tritonkeller -
The Omniscan SS and FS provide functionally the same data - they work the same way! The SS is just going to be much harder to integrate into the BlueROV2, as the electronics will need to go in an enclosure that is not included or provided for (as it is intended for the BlueBoat!)
The Omniscan FS and the Sonoptix provide a very similar picture - the difference is that the Sonoptix Echo updates this picture continuously, and saves data as a movie file while the Omniscan FS/SS only provides data as you rotate the vehicle, scanning the beam across the environment.

A better combination may be one of those sonars and a DVL! This will let you set down the controller when the vehicle is position holding, and if using the Omniscan FS see the vehicle move across the map that it is creating…

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Without a doubt, you will get the best “bang for the buck” with sonars from Cerulean and Blue Robotics. By no means do I recommend Oculus!

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Thanks for the reply!

This is super helpful information. So, if I’m looking to do side scanning while under way, could I just mount two 450FS (one on each side)? That way, I could use the mounting hardware (and electronics enclosure) from Cerulean on the 450FS to be depth-rated while still getting information on both sides of the vehicle.

I guess I’m just asking because we’re looking to have the vehicle map its entire surroundings as it moves, so we’d like the most extensive coverage without duplicating sensors. If that includes getting both side-scanning and front-scanning sonar, I just want to know which would integrate best with the ROV. If the DVL strategy is better, I’m happy to take your recommendation with that.

Hi @Andrew -
Yes, you can use two, or even 3x Omniscan FS at the same time! When two are used at a 90 degree angle, you even get DVL-like functionality, with the vehicle sensing its motion over the terrain from the units.

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Thanks for the quick reply.

I think we are going to go with mounting 2 Omniscan FS (one on each side), the Sonoptix for front scanning and the DVL. If we go ahead with the Omniscans, do we source them from the Cerulean website, or does BR sell them from their website?

Hi Andrew -
You may have better results with the 2x FS mounted at 90 degrees - this eliminates the need for a DVL, and you can still scan an area by performing slow 360s with the ROV every so often as you drive around.

Blue Robotics does not (yet) sell the Omniscan FS, you’ll need to purchase from Cerulean for now!

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Thank you! All of this information was very helpful!

Andrew, we sell one mount option for the OS450FS but can also send you the .step file if you want to make your own :slight_smile:

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