Spyfish ROV
powered cable
winder
H2Eye Ltd
The challenge was to handle
the 200 m long cable in a way
that didn’t detract or negatively
affect the Spyfishing experience.
We spent many months
discovering , distilling concepts
and uncovering the essential
attributes required for the
system, frequently field testing
working prototypes, which
ranged from from manual to
semi-automatic.
During the development
we worked in conjunction
with the IDEO London
team and spent many
chilly winter days with the
clients crew on or near
the ocean.
The final design featured
ground breaking power
assisted ‘on demand’
cable pay-out and push
button control of cable
retraction.
Piranha’s engineers also
devised the control
algorithms required to
balance the feedback
system.
Following the
prototyping stages
(see here)
the design was
developed further
using 3d CAD., ready
for pre-production
tooling issue.
After successfully concluding the
development stages our winders went on
to be deployed around the globe, with
further user tests in Iceland, Bahamas,
Mediterranean, and Canaries.
The design
specification required
IP68 certification as the
winder needed to
withstand the tough
salty marine
environment.
H2Eye, a London start-up, were so impressed by Piranha’s designs for the Scuba
industry that they commissioned us to design, develop and build a cable
management system for the Spyfish underwater ROV camera they were
developing.
The greatest challenge
was how to ensure
smooth mechanical
operation when
deploying the cable
from a sandy beach, so
we integrated a novel
sand removing cleaner
into the unit.
