OceanGate and 2G Robotics have formed a strategic alliance to capture laser data of the RMS Titanic shipwreck and debris field.
2G Robotics dynamic underwater laser scanner, the ULS-500 PRO, will be installed on OceanGate’s Cyclops 2, the first manned submersible to survey the Titanic since 2005.
The six-week Titanic Survey Expedition will depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland in June with scientists, content experts, and mission specialists joining the crew in a series of week-long missions.
The 2G Robotics equipment will generate real-time 3D models. Using the laser data, the team will overlay 4K images captured throughout the expedition to create a detailed 3D virtual model of the wreck. This model will serve as an objective baseline to assess the decay of the wreck over time and help to document and preserve its submerged history.
“Laser scanning provides maximum detail in less time than other techniques,” notes Stockton Rush , OceanGate CEO. “2G Robotics has provided us with a solution that will generate an entirely new perspective of the Titanic.”
OceanGate said that documenting the debris field and creating a nearly lifelike digital model without disrupting the habitat or any artifacts is of its top priority. “We recognize that the entire site is a memorial and we undertake our expedition with great respect for those who died in the sinking,” said Rush. The expedition is to be conducted in accordance with NOAA and UNESCO guidelines for the preservation of underwater world heritage sites.