Advanced ROV System for Underwater Inspection

Underwater structures such as pipelines, bridges, and tanks require regular inspection to detect cracks and damage before they lead to major failures. Identifying human bodies during underwater search and rescue operations using human divers. However, using human divers for this task is risky, expensive, and difficult in dark, high-pressure, or narrow underwater spaces. This project focuses on designing and building a compact underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) capable of carrying out such inspections safely and efficiently. The hardware, including motor and sensor control, is managed by an ESP32 microcontroller built into the ROV and programmed in C++, ensuring fast and reliable real-time operation underwater. Four thrusters allow the vehicle to move forward, backward, upward and downward , enabling navigation through confined spaces. A waterproof HD camera to capture clear footage, while a water-spray mechanism keeps the lens clean of mud and suspended particles. On the software side, Python is used to process the live camera feed for detecting cracks and identifying human bodies underwater, which is especially useful for rescue operations, along with recognizing obstacles such as rocks, pipes, and walls. All detection results and live video are displayed on a monitoring dashboard for the operator.