Real-time enhancement of visual clarity in turbid waters for commercial divers and ROVs

Optimal visual clarity underwater is paramount for both commercial divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) engaged in critical offshore inspections. Water turbidity in ports, rivers, and other inland waters commonly obstructs underwater inspections and navigation, often leading to an increase in inspection costs or even rendering an inspection impossible. Artificially improving underwater visibility makes remote camera inspections realizable at conditions and locations previously thought to be impossible. To this end, we present a novel and unique solution to this problem in the form of our real-time video clarifier software. Under the supervision of the American Bureau of Shipping, we conducted experiments to test the software’s efficacy. Our experiment, conducted in 13.5 NTU water turbidity at the port of Galveston, evaluated Lolaark Vision Inc.'s groundbreaking video clarifier technology. Using a standard HD SDI camera connected to high-intensity light sources, the trial demonstrated an overall increase of 37% in the horizontal visibility radius. It was found that structures that were previously visible only 9 inches away from the camera, became visible after the application of the Clarifier even at 21 inches of distance between the camera and the object of interest thus yielding a video clarification factor of 2.33. Furthermore, by utilizing the Underwater Image Quality Measure (UIQM), we observed a notable 160% improvement in the UIQM score on average. This score is an objective metric of the visual information content of an image or a frame of a video clip. The video Clarifier works in real-time at maximum 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second. These findings underscore the transformative potential of Lolaark Vision's video Clarifier in significantly enhancing the efficiency and safety of underwater inspections performed by divers or by ROVs. Our successful experiments enabled the American Bureau of Shipping to award Lolaark Vision Inc. a New Technology Qualification at the “Technology Qualified” maturity level (approximately equivalent to a Level 4 TRL of API RP 17N/Q), further validating the Clarifier’s efficacy and relevance in offshore and inshore operations.