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This housing is for a Panasonic AK-HC1500, Fujinon
HD76-137 Zoom lens, and Toshiba Protégé M400 Hi-Def
monitor, all for use in an underwater theatrical
production. It was designed to be hand-held by a
SCUBA-equipped cameraman in a huge circular tank during
the show. The monitor, used as a viewfinder by the
camera operator, is adjustable in tilt, and can be
clamped with the handle assembly at a comfortable
location along the barrel of the housing. Front and rear
doors feature double o-ring bore seals to the barrel.
The front door has a 6” dome port, which is protected by
a circular hood. The rear door has a tray inside, to
which all internal equipment is mounted, including
termination for a custom-made umbilical. The latter
cable provides power in, video out, and external
controls for all camera and lens functions, which are
controlled by operators topside. |
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This is the first in a series of experimental lighting methods for attracting and illuminating sea creatures at night. The banks of high-intensity LEDs are mounted to flex circuits, which are in turn bonded to copper heat sinks. The lower banks on each side are adjustable, in order to empirically determine the best angle to provide even coverage on various subjects. |
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This housing is used by a designer of fishing nets to
document how a trawl net is spreading as it is towed
through the water. The housing is rated to a depth of
1000 Meters, and is made of aluminum tube. The holes in
the rear flange are used to bolt the housing to a steel
protective cage, which is then sewn into the net
pointing to the area of interest. A free-running video
camera is wrapped in foam, inserted into the tube, and
the door secured in place. See
www.trawlcamera.com. |
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| Rear view of Trawl camera housing. The quarter-turn
valve and check valve are part of the purging system.
Ambient moisture in the air inside the housing is
displaced by dry Nitrogen, which is bled in through the
quarter-turn valve and exiting through the check valve.
This procedure prevents moisture inside the housing from
condensing inside the lens port when the housing is
surrounded by very cold water. |
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This housing allows use of a Fastcam APX-RS to capture
animal movements at speeds of up to 3,000 frames per
second at full resolution. The arm assembly, shown
folded, allows a light source to be positioned
accurately and repeatably. More details may be shown
here after the customer publishes results of this study. |
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| Pool testing of the above housing to fine tune
weights and balance of the system, and get used to
recording with it, before going to the field. Photo
courtesy of Dabiri Group, CalTech. |
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Classroom and hands-on pool training were made available to customer for the Dodeca Housing preparatory to taking the unit on a tour of many coral reefs in the South Pacific.
The first photo shows the housing being handed to a
diver. |
| This second shows the diver learning
to swim with the camera held steady for a full 360
degree view. |
| This last photo shows the crew
reviewing video tapes made during the training session. |
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This spherical housing was made for the Dodeca camera
from Immersive Media
www.immersivemedia.com. This
camera has eleven video cameras in a spherical shape,
and can stitch the images in real time for a full
360-degree view. This housing was designed to be
suspended underwater from a boat or to be mounted
upright on a submersible or stationary point, ad depths
down to 150 feet. The domes are acrylic and are 6"
diameter. |
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| The same housing is shown hanging from a rope. Data
cable connects to the 12-pin Impulse connector offset
from the centerline of the housing. A different mounting
plate can also mount the camera on a pole. |
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This is one of a pair of housings to be used by a
swimming coach at the University of Hawaii to study and
improve the swimming motions of athletes. The Basler
high-speed camera and lens are controlled and viewed via
a FireWire connection to a computer and display on the
pool deck. One camera records the side view of the
swimmer and a second records simultaneously the front
view. The recordings, up to 4,000 frames per second, can
be used to create 3D stick figures of the swimmer, and
can be used to quantify the speed and power of each
muscle. The same systems are also used in aquatherapy to
help understand the limited motion in stroke patients. |
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These photos show the latest improvements and refinements on the AquariCam, which is now rated for use in the ocean to 160 feet. It features a field-replaceable glass dome and simplified cabling. Below the housing base is an adjustable weight tray, which can also be used as a mounting base. Not shown is strain relief that protects cables entering the housing. |
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This is the latest version of the AquariCam in
place on a rock in Kona in 2006. The new version has a
glass dome that is a greater portion of a sphere than
earlier ones. The glass should be more resistant to
biofouling than the acrylic ones. |
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The housing is attached to a rock in about 25 feet of
water between the two bright lights. Snorkelers are at
the perimeter of the lighted area, divers are below, and
five manta rays are between the lights and the shore.
Dive vessel is anchored off shore. Power and Ethernet
cables are run from the camera through the intertidal
zone and up the cliff to the left of this photo. Photo
taken at about 10 PM. |
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By utilizing the best features of the TurtleCam and
prior MantaCam designs, and a new generation of
telepresence housings was developed. The new model has a
glass hyper-hemispheric dome, more than tripling the
depth capability of the older housings with acrylic
domes, and a wet-mateable Fiber Optic connector, making
deployment and service of the units easier. It is also
equipped with purge valves for displacing internal air
with dry Nitrogen, and an optional weight tray for
buoyancy adjustment. |
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When the camera for which the original Manta housing
was developed became unavailable, a temporary
modification to the existing housings was made to
accommodate a new camera from Sony. The new camera
mounting plate was made to hold the new camera, keeping
the same power and fiber optic connectors. This system
was tested at Monterey Bay Aquarium, and analyzed for
desired changes for the next generation of this system. |
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This housing will be used to monitor endangered Green Sea Turtles in Hawaii at several near-shore underwater sites. Below the camera are a sealed lead-acid battery and a DC-DC converter to store and regulate incoming power.
It is designed to be powered from shore and have an Ethernet connection to shore for control and video. Alternatively, it may be powered by a floating solar panel, and have its control and video linked by WiFi. |
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| (2005) This shows the Turtle Telepresence Camera installed
on a reef in Hawaii, on a temporary concrete base. The
site is a cleaning station for Green Sea Turtles, where
several species of fish eat parasites that are present
on the skin of the turtles. |
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| (2005) TurtleCam in use - This is a still shot from
streaming video of a Honu or Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia
mydas) at Puako, Hawaii. Researchers are studying turtle
cleaning stations, where the fish eat parasites growing
on the turtle's body. This is one aspect of
student-conducted research led by Dr. Marc Rice of
Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Kamuela, Hawaii. |
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See More Examples of
Underwater Video Housings
NEXT PAGE > |
Underwater Housings for Still Cameras |
Underwater Housings for Video Cameras
Surf Housings for Still Cameras |
Surf Housings for Video Cameras
Instrument Housings |
Telemetry Housings |
Other types of Housings
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