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Mini BOB Sled Active

By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center August 13, 2020

Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.

Cameras and cables are attached to a long steel frame with a propeller at the end.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

The “Mini BOB Sled” is a hand-deployable high definition video camera tow fish. It has 300 Watts of LED lighting, and parallel lasers to estimate the scale of features observed in video imagery. It is capable of operating in water depths up 75 meters. It requires 120 volt AC power and a dry space on the vessel for a small monitor and recording equipment.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer - USGS: Designed and built at the USGS PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
  • Model -Mini BOBSled V1.1
  • Weight – approximately 10 kg in air
  • Dimensions – W 0.3 m, L 1.25 m, H 0.3 m
  • Power Requirements 120 VAC, total system consumption ~320 watts max.

Operational Characteristics

A video camera inside a cylindrical housing with a rounded lens is mounted onto a steel bracket on white plastic tubing.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
  • Minimum Operational Depth  - limited by near focus to water depths deeper than 1 meter
  • Maximum Operational Depth - limited by tether length to 75 meters
  • Limitations - maximum tow speed of  approximately 1.5 -  3 knots, sea state 1.5 meters or less, water clarity limits acceptable areas of operation
  • Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges – N/A, It is a passive camera system
  • Ship’s Requirements –  Towing capability A-frame or davit, low speed maneuverability, protected space for monitor, control and recording equipment.
A video camera inside a cylindrical housing with a rounded lens next to another cylinder for power supply.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Underwater video camera housing.

Additional Equipment Required

A support vessel with protected lab space.

Complementary Systems

Bathyswath Seafloor Mapping System, BOB Sled instrumented camera system

A smiling man sits on the back of a boat holding a rope that is secured to an instrument that's being lowered into the water.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
USGS ocean engineer Gerry Hatcher guides the mini BOB sled camera system into the water.

 

 

Learn more about MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.

link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More
link
Cameras and cables are attached to a long steel frame with a propeller at the end.

Mini BOB Sled

Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Mini BOB Sled

Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.
Learn More
link

The New BOBSled Underwater Camera System Records High-Definition Video of the Seafloor

The Benthic OBservation Sled, or BOBSled, was developed at the Marine Facility of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz...

Read Article
  • Overview

    Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.

    Cameras and cables are attached to a long steel frame with a propeller at the end.
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

    The “Mini BOB Sled” is a hand-deployable high definition video camera tow fish. It has 300 Watts of LED lighting, and parallel lasers to estimate the scale of features observed in video imagery. It is capable of operating in water depths up 75 meters. It requires 120 volt AC power and a dry space on the vessel for a small monitor and recording equipment.

    Specifications

    • Manufacturer - USGS: Designed and built at the USGS PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
    • Model -Mini BOBSled V1.1
    • Weight – approximately 10 kg in air
    • Dimensions – W 0.3 m, L 1.25 m, H 0.3 m
    • Power Requirements 120 VAC, total system consumption ~320 watts max.

    Operational Characteristics

    A video camera inside a cylindrical housing with a rounded lens is mounted onto a steel bracket on white plastic tubing.
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    • Minimum Operational Depth  - limited by near focus to water depths deeper than 1 meter
    • Maximum Operational Depth - limited by tether length to 75 meters
    • Limitations - maximum tow speed of  approximately 1.5 -  3 knots, sea state 1.5 meters or less, water clarity limits acceptable areas of operation
    • Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges – N/A, It is a passive camera system
    • Ship’s Requirements –  Towing capability A-frame or davit, low speed maneuverability, protected space for monitor, control and recording equipment.
    A video camera inside a cylindrical housing with a rounded lens next to another cylinder for power supply.
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    Underwater video camera housing.

    Additional Equipment Required

    A support vessel with protected lab space.

    Complementary Systems

    Bathyswath Seafloor Mapping System, BOB Sled instrumented camera system

    A smiling man sits on the back of a boat holding a rope that is secured to an instrument that's being lowered into the water.
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    USGS ocean engineer Gerry Hatcher guides the mini BOB sled camera system into the water.

     

     

  • Science

    Learn more about MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.

    link
    Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

    PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

    Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
    By
    Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    link

    PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

    Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
    Learn More
    link
    A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

    PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

    Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
    By
    Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    link

    PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

    Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
    Learn More
    link
    Cameras and cables are attached to a long steel frame with a propeller at the end.

    Mini BOB Sled

    Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.
    By
    Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    link

    Mini BOB Sled

    Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.
    Learn More
  • News
    link

    The New BOBSled Underwater Camera System Records High-Definition Video of the Seafloor

    The Benthic OBservation Sled, or BOBSled, was developed at the Marine Facility of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz...

    Read Article