TEC-V — Topographic Exploration Cave Vehicle

Overview

Underwater mapping built around acquisition, visualization, and integration.

TEC-V is an ROV designed for submerged cave mapping and navigation. The platform integrates an Omniscan sonar with a custom underwater vehicle, a data pipeline for ingesting raw scan data, and an interactive 3D point-cloud “Cloud Plot” viewer for exploration and analysis.

My focus was on data ingestion, the visualization interface, and the system integration and testing required to move from raw sonar capture to usable spatial output.

Software stack: Python for sonar acquisition and transformation, Java for 3D visualization and UI, plus supporting web presentation.
Hardware: Omniscan 450 FS sonar with custom mounting designed around hydrodynamics and stable scan collection.
Validation: Gazebo simulation and pool/tank testing before broader deployment.

Video

System demo

Gallery

Vehicle, mapping, and testing imagery

TEC-V mechanical assembly — ROV mechanical assembly and sonar mounting.

TEC-V cloud plot visualization — Cloud Plot: interactive 3D point-cloud view for mapped cave sections.

TEC-V pool or tank testing — Pool and tank testing used to validate scan capture and pipeline behavior.

Details

Architecture, workflow, and design decisions

Software Architecture

Acquisition: Python services parse Omniscan output and normalize raw sonar frames.
Visualization: Java-based tooling renders 3D point clouds with layer controls, coloring, and exploration tools.
Simulation: Gazebo scenes support iteration and validation of the mapping workflow.

Key Functions

Load and clear coordinate sets, then export cleaned data.
Control sphere and mesh sizing, color ramps, and sectional coloring.
Combine multiple passes and align sections into a unified cave model.

Mapping Process

The ROV performs rotational and translational scan passes to collect sonar points. Those passes are then aligned and merged into a composite model that can be explored inside the Cloud Plot viewer.

Mechanical Integration

Custom brackets position the Omniscan 450 FS to preserve line-of-sight and flow quality while maintaining buoyancy balance and vehicle stability during slow, precise mapping operations.

Next Steps

Future improvements

Improve rotational correction in Cloud Plot for higher point-placement accuracy.
Add support for additional sonar file formats and faster import workflows.
Continue field refinement with the Omniscan 450 FS and optimize mounting for broader coverage.
Advance autonomous navigation using refined sonar-derived environmental data.

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