"Photographer" sea drones shed light on Brittany’s shipwrecks

Capturing the beauty of the bottom of the Iroise Sea, its shipwrecks, its flora and fauna, to bring out its magic and to simply amaze. This is the vision of Ewan Lebourdais, Peintre Officiel de la Marine ("Official painter of the French Navy"), who asked ENSTA Bretagne to collaborate with him for his next photographic adventure.

Taking artistic photographs at great depths is particularly complex: the environment is obscure, sometimes moving, and pressure problems limit the divers’ immersion times; technical challenges that 29 engineering students from ENSTA Bretagne have been asked to overcome.

The specifications call for the development of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) capable of taking photos at low shutter speeds. To achieve this, the ROV must be as stable as possible. It will have to compensate for sea currents and provide maximum camera mobility, using a pan-tilt module. Its shape will have to integrate all the elements needed for its smooth operation (thrusters, batteries, sensors, etc.), not to mention Ewan Lebourdais’ photographic equipment.

ENSTA Bretagne : Etudiants-ingénieurs qui travaillent en groupe sur le projet de robot Photographique

Also, to overcome the problem of low light levels in this underwater environment, the project includes a study of adding several complementary ROVs that can work in coordination with the main ROV to illuminate the scene.

After the mechanical design phase, other skills will come into play. ENSTA Bretagne’s Autonomous Robotics team will focus on coordinating the ROVs and on-board intelligence, while Florian Madec, founder of FMC Composites, will produce the main ROV structure using carbon fiber composites.

This project gathers together some talents from Western Brittany, who have joined forces to bring this ambitious scientific and artistic adventure to life.