NDTScan provides advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions tailored for blue robotics. Our services ensure accurate, compliant, and efficient diagnostics across all sectors, from aerospace to infrastructure. With cutting-edge equipment and over a decade of experience, we deliver certified inspections that minimise downtime and maximise safety. Trust NDTScan for reliable, data-driven reporting that enhances your decision-making and operational excellence.
NDTScan uses Blue Robotics platforms for low-cost, modular subsea inspections in coastal, environmental, and research-based applications. These open-source ROVs and AUVs are flexible, field-configurable, and ideal for shallow water asset inspection, ecological surveying, and confined marine infrastructure work. With custom payloads and community-supported design, Blue Robotics is perfect for bespoke monitoring tasks.
We deploy them for harbour wall inspections, fish farm infrastructure, inlet screens, outfalls, and educational or pilot studies where cost and versatility are key.
Continuous Innovation in Accessible Underwater Robotics
Blue Robotics has democratised underwater access — and we’ve embraced it. Their vehicles support fast-deployment inspections with off-the-shelf or custom sensors, enabling responsive surveys without the cost of high-end offshore ROVs.
Our Blue Robotics Equipment
- BlueROV2: Core ROV used for shallow water inspections, with HD camera, lighting, six thrusters, and optional sonar or CTD payloads.
- Gripper & Tooling Kits: Enables debris removal, sample capture, or basic mechanical intervention tasks underwater.
- Ping360 Sonar: Rotating sonar unit for visibility in murky or zero-visibility environments — crucial for confined spaces.
- Custom Sensor Integration: Used to mount pH, salinity, temperature, or oxygen sensors for environmental monitoring alongside NDT.
- ArduSub + QGroundControl Interface: Allows intuitive piloting, waypoint tracking, and data logging from any laptop — reducing training and equipment footprint.
Why We Use Blue Robotics
For pilot projects, academic studies, or confined water inspections where big offshore tools are overkill, Blue Robotics provides capability, flexibility, and affordability unmatched by any other platform.
Other ROVs Used
For high-spec integrity inspections, we use Deep Trekker or Saab Seaeye systems. Blue Robotics is ideal when a scalable, adaptable, or low-footprint inspection solution is needed.
Low-Cost, High-Impact Marine Inspections with Modular Blue Robotics Systems
At NDTScan, we use Blue Robotics platforms to redefine what’s possible in nearshore and shallow-water inspection. Traditionally, underwater surveys have been expensive, logistically complex, and dominated by large ROVs designed for oil and gas operations. Blue Robotics changes the equation.
These modular, open-source vehicles give us full control over payloads, navigation, and mission scope — allowing our team to conduct precise, efficient subsea inspections at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems. Whether inspecting aquaculture cages, mapping harbour walls, or conducting coastal condition assessments, we trust Blue Robotics for reliable data capture and real-time situational awareness.
With a growing demand for underwater asset management in both public and private sectors, our Blue Robotics platforms allow NDTScan to offer scalable services that are as suited to academic fieldwork as they are to industrial applications.
Applications of Modular Subsea Inspection
Coastal Infrastructure:
Breakwaters, sea defences, quaysides, piers and outfalls are all vulnerable to corrosion, scour, marine growth, and physical damage. Our ROVs navigate tight conditions to capture HD video, sonar maps and environmental data.
Environmental Monitoring:
We integrate CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) sensors, pH loggers, dissolved oxygen probes, and more for targeted environmental condition surveys, ideal for marine biology research, impact assessments, or pre-dredging studies.
Aquaculture & Fisheries:
Cage integrity, net fouling, and mooring checks are vital for operational safety and compliance in the aquaculture sector. Our ROVs allow rapid inspections between cycles with minimal disruption to stock or site.
Educational & Research Projects:
Low-cost and field-programmable, Blue Robotics platforms are ideal for STEM projects, marine technology trials, and pilot schemes. We often support universities, colleges, and NGOs with data capture, training, and system deployment.
Confined or Hazardous Spaces:
Water intake tunnels, culverts, intake screens, and reservoirs often pose safety risks to divers. Our compact ROVs navigate these challenging environments to reduce risk and increase inspection frequency.
What Makes Blue Robotics the Right Fit for Subsea Inspection?
Modularity:
With interchangeable payloads, our ROVs can be configured to suit each job — whether that’s carrying sensors, collecting video, or deploying basic tools. Need to add a sonar last-minute? It clips right in.
Open-Source Platform:
The ArduSub control system and QGroundControl interface allow full mission customisation and real-time feedback. Waypoints, telemetry, and data overlays are all logged and exported for reporting.
Portability:
A single technician can deploy a BlueROV2 from a small boat, jetty, or even a rocky shoreline. This makes inspections more flexible and cost-effective than crane-launched industrial ROVs.
Low Cost, High Return:
By using open hardware and commercial-grade sensors, Blue Robotics systems deliver actionable insights without the logistical burden of offshore-class equipment. This translates to more frequent inspections and better asset management.
Full Equipment Stack for Professional Inspections
BlueROV2:
Our flagship unit for confined and coastal surveys. HD camera, six vectored thrusters, integrated lights, and adjustable ballast. Operates to 100 metres and can be field-serviced within minutes.
Ping360 Scanning Sonar:
Essential for murky water or zero-visibility missions, the Ping360 generates 360° sonar images to aid navigation and locate features or obstructions.
Manipulator Arm & Tooling Kits:
From removing debris to retrieving samples or placing test instruments, our add-on tooling allows for basic intervention tasks without diver deployment.
Custom Sensor Bays:
We regularly fit temperature, turbidity, pH, chlorophyll, and salinity sensors — turning the ROV into a mobile environmental laboratory.
Telemetry & Data Logging:
Live video feeds, depth readings, sonar charts and mission tracks are all recorded and geotagged. Our reports include video stills, sonar snapshots, and sensor data outputs in professional formats.
Benefits for UK Asset Managers and Marine Operators
For Local Authorities:
Inspecting sea walls, culverts and outfalls is faster, safer, and more affordable with portable ROV systems. We offer scheduled survey programmes for coastal councils looking to track structural change or scour.
For Environmental Consultants:
We work alongside ecology and EIA teams to gather precise aquatic data for regulatory submissions, baseline studies, and long-term monitoring.
For Port and Harbour Operators:
Our rapid mobilisation allows inspections of fenders, moorings, and dock walls with minimal downtime and disruption to vessel movements.
For Civil Engineering Teams:
We provide vital pre-work and post-construction underwater surveys during marine infrastructure builds or upgrades, enabling accurate condition documentation.
Supported by a Global Community of Innovation
A key advantage of Blue Robotics is its thriving developer and user community. This open-source ethos means faster innovation, better problem-solving, and a growing library of compatible tools and plugins. We regularly contribute feedback and participate in system development cycles, ensuring our operations always use the latest technology advancements.
For an overview of Blue Robotics hardware and software, visit the official Blue Robotics website and see how the ecosystem supports flexible subsea operations across the world.
Data-Driven Decisions at the Waterline
The insight provided by our ROV systems is not just visual. By integrating multiple data channels — from sonar and HD video to water chemistry sensors — we create actionable reports that support planning, compliance, and operational decisions. Each inspection includes georeferenced outputs and optional CAD or GIS integration depending on project scope.
Our final deliverables are suitable for engineering reviews, regulatory submissions, insurance claims, or research analysis — and always include clear recommendations, condition summaries, and raw data access.