Research Ideas and Outcomes :
Research Article
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Corresponding author: Lachlan C Fetterplace (lachlan.fetterplace@slu.se)
Academic editor: Editorial Secretary
Received: 13 Oct 2023 | Accepted: 21 Nov 2023 | Published: 08 Dec 2023
© 2023 Lachlan Fetterplace, Peter Ljungberg, Emilia Benavente Norrman, Filip Bohlin, Lisa Sörman, Per Johannesson, Daniel Rooth, Sara Königson
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Fetterplace LC, Ljungberg P, Benavente Norrman E, Bohlin F, Sörman L, Johannesson P, Rooth D, Königson S (2023) AquaticVID: a low cost, extended battery life, plug-and-go video system for aquatic research. Research Ideas and Outcomes 9: e114134. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.9.e114134
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AquaticVID is a low-cost, long battery life video camera system for use in a wide-range of aquatic research applications. The system can be deployed for multiple day recording on a single charge, is submersible to depths of down to 950 m and can be constructed quickly using easily sourced off-the-shelf materials. The system is essentially ‘plug-and-go’, as assembly and preparation for deployment takes < 30 minutes without the need for technical build or programming skills. All of the electrical components are interchangeable with parts from multiple manufacturers and the camera system can be adapted to fit a variety of waterproof enclosure sizes depending on power and data storage requirements. Here, we describe three versions of the AquaticVID in detail and give examples of above and below water research undertaken with the system. The small size and extended battery times, coupled with ease of use and low cost (US$ 268–540) make the AquaticVID a useful option for numerous aquatic research applications.
underwater video, electronic monitoring, fisheries, BRUVS, conservation, ecology, marine ecology, fish behaviour, bycatch
Remotely deployed video camera technology is now widespread in aquatic research (
Deploying video cameras underwater or in the ‘splash’ zone creates additional challenges compared to terrestrial applications (
Ease of build, setup and deployment are important considerations for a cheap general use aquatic video system. Conversely, complicated builds and or the need for specialist skills likely limits wider uptake. Likewise, equipment cost and repair continue to be a major impediment in video-based aquatic research and monitoring. To increase efficiency and reduce high labour costs in many video sampling studies and monitoring programmes, multiple cameras are deployed simultaneously at the local scale (i.e. deployed at the same location to gather multiple samples) (e.g.
There remains a need for affordable, small, long battery life remote video systems that are also simple to build with readily available components. Current systems usually only meet a subset of these needs or require programming and build skills that often are not available. Here, we describe AquaticVID, a low-cost, long battery life video camera system that can be utilised in a wide-range of aquatic research applications. The system was developed and improved over time in response to a need for a cheap and easy-to-use camera that could be adapted to a number of research situations and that could also be used as a stand-in for more expensive and specialised systems (e.g. should they fail in the field and need a quick replacement or when more expensive systems have been delayed during the production process). To provide a representative overview of the system variations in use, we describe three of the latest versions of the AquaticVID configurations in detail and also give examples of above- and below-water research undertaken with the system to date.
Requirements and need:
The AquaticVID system was created at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU Aqua) to fill the need for a cheap, long battery life (i.e. multiple day recording) video system that could be used across multiple projects and modified to fit each project’s requirements. It was important that anyone could put the system together quickly, at any of our field stations or on-board our fishing and research vessels, using easily sourced off-the-shelf components. Other key requirements were multiple day recording time, waterproof down to 100s of metres, portable with small size, configurable frame rate and resolution, easily modifiable to suit each project needs (e.g. can be used with different-sized housings and batteries dependent on project requirements) and had components that were able to be widely sourced or equivalents swapped in easily.
System description:
The AquaticVID system consists of a single camera in a watertight housing that can be used underwater or modified for use above water in electronic monitoring on boats or other applications where a waterproof system is needed. When used above-water, a cheap external GPS unit can also be included when position data are required.
The system is designed to:
Here we describe three versions of the AquaticVID in detail: A ‘Micro’ (2 inch housing), ‘Mini’ (3 inch housing) and a ‘MiniAir’ (3 inch housing) option that has modifications for long-term deployments above-water environments. All three versions consist of the same base components (camera, miniSD, keep-alive load) and have differing waterproof enclosure sizes and power supply components (Table
Bill of materials outlining the base components required for all versions of the AquaticVID system and the components specific to each version.
Version |
Part |
Component |
Qty |
Unit Cost (USD) |
Total cost (USD) |
Source of materials |
All versions |
A |
Mobius 1080p HD action camera + C2 wide angle lens |
1 |
90 |
90 |
|
B |
USB cable |
1 |
0 |
0 |
NA |
|
D |
Camera holder |
1 |
1 |
1 |
See S2 Section |
|
E |
USB battery pack keep-alive load |
1 |
20 |
20 |
||
Micro (2") |
C |
Micro SD card 64GB |
1 |
10 |
10 |
|
F1 |
Powerbank (2600 mAh) |
1 |
12 |
12 |
See S1 section |
|
G1 |
Dome port 2" Series |
1 |
24 |
24 |
||
H1 |
Aluminium O-ring flange 2" Series |
2 |
27 |
54 |
||
I1 |
Cast acrylic tube 2" Series |
1 |
34 |
34 |
||
J1 |
Acrylic end cap 2" Series |
1 |
14 |
14 |
||
K |
Enclosure pressure vent |
1 |
9 |
9 |
||
Total Cost Micro: 268 |
||||||
Mini (3") |
C |
Micro SD card 400GB |
1 |
55 |
55 |
|
F2 |
Powerbank (30,000 mAh) |
1 |
35 |
35 |
See S1 section |
|
G2 |
Dome port 3" Series |
1 |
32 |
32 |
||
H2 |
Aluminium O-ring flange 3" Series |
2 |
35 |
70 |
||
I2 |
Cast acrylic tube 3" Series |
1 |
179 |
179 |
||
J2 |
Acrylic end cap 3" Series |
1 |
15 |
15 |
||
K |
Enclosure pressure vent |
1 |
9 |
9 |
||
Total Cost Mini: 506 |
||||||
MiniAir (3") |
C |
Micro SD card 400GB |
1 |
55 |
55 |
|
F2 |
Powerbank (30,000 mAh) |
1 |
35 |
35 |
See S1 section |
|
G2 |
Dome port 3" Series |
1 |
32 |
32 |
||
H2 |
Aluminium O-ring flange 3" Series |
2 |
35 |
70 |
||
I3 |
Cast acrylic tube longer 3" Series |
1 |
215 |
215 |
||
J2 |
Acrylic end cap 3" Series |
1 |
15 |
15 |
||
L |
One way valve (above-water only) |
1 |
6 |
6 |
||
Total Cost Mini Air: 539 |
||||||
Above-water optional |
M |
External on/off switch |
1 |
6 |
6 |
|
N |
GPS unit |
1 |
55 |
55 |
Two AquaticVID variations: A) the Mini Air with components labelled (value in brackets matches Table 1 designator), B) the smaller Micro setup for underwater deployment (no valve) and C) end cap with optional on/off switch alongside a valve and vent. The tube and end cap can also be swapped over with aluminium tubes, from the same manufacturer which will increase the depth rating substantially.
The electronic components in the AquaticVID consist of an action camera with internal battery, miniSD card, type A male-to-male mini-USB cable, a keep-alive load (these components are the same in all versions of the AquaticVID) and a power bank (the power bank size and capacity varies depending on AquaticVID configuration) (Fig.
Camera: The Mobius action cam 1 is used as a base camera as it is cheap, reliable, takes good quality video footage and has a wider range of easily configurable settings than other action cameras (the camera can be swapped with alternatives with no modifications to the system needed; see S1). Spare parts, alternative lens types and add-ons are low cost and easily sourced. Technical camera details: Mobius 1080p HD action camera 1 (three resolution settings 848x480(WVGA)–1920x1080, frame rate 5–60fps, MP4, MOV, AVI, video codec h.264) with 130-degree wide-angle C2 lens (170-degree diagonal FOV). Camera and lens 68 mm(L) x 35 mm(W) x 18 mm(H). Weight 41 grams (see
Data Storage: Mobius recommends the use of 128 GB miniSD cards as a maximum; however, we tested up to 400 GB cards and some models (formatted to FAT32 or exFAT32 in camera) were compatible (Suppl. material
Keep-alive Load: Sota beams variable load 6–150 mA with adjustable current level. Most modern power banks have an automatic sleep mode (they switch off if the current being drawn stops or is too low after a short time period) that cannot be turned off. This means that when charging a camera with an internal battery, the power bank will charge the camera battery once and then turn off when the camera battery is full despite having the capacity to charge the camera battery multiple times. Adding a component that maintains a low constant current draw that keeps the battery back ‘alive’ prevents power bank low-current shut-down. The keep-alive load uses a USB type A female connector for incoming power supply.
Power supply: The Mobius standard battery is 520 mAh which gives roughly 90 minutes battery life on default 1920 x 1080p at 30fps (can be upgraded to 820mAh = 130 minutes). In the AquaticVID systems, additional battery supply is added: In the AquaticVID MICRO version, generally we use an additional off-the-shelf power bank of 2600–5200 mAh and the MINI and MINI Air have an additional off-the-shelf power bank of 30,000 mAh (see Suppl. material
Cables: To interconnect the Mobius camera with the keep-alive load, a type A male to type mini male USB cable is used. To interconnect the keep-alive load with the power bank, a USB cable with a type A male connection is used, while the other end is power bank specific.
Camera holder: a simple camera holder made of easily available material – we use plywood offcuts with foam padding points or foam holders (any lightweight wood or 3D printed plastic versions can be used). See Suppl. material
GPS: When used above-water, an external portable GPS unit (sold as Renkforce gp102 in Sweden that is a house brand rebadged G-Porter CANMORE-gp-102) can be added to the system to collect position data (Table
The standard watertight enclosure used for the AquaticVID consists of a dome, a cast acrylic tube and acrylic end cap, two O ring-flanges (these come standard with six O-rings) all made by and distributed by BlueRobotics (Table
Optional additions:
It is easy to remove the endcap and turn the camera on and off; however, in some cases, for example, wave and splash zones, where users need to maintain the water seal, the above-water version can be modified to include an on/off switch (Fig.
Mounting options:
The AquaticVID system can be mounted or deployed in various ways to suit different applications. The small size and weight of the system make it well-suited for ad-hoc field deployments, such as using cables or tension ties to attach it to vessel fittings or fishing gear. The system is not built with a standardised deployment mount and we tend to adapt a mount to each research situation (see Suppl. material
The AquaticVID system has various aquatic and above-water applications and has been used in a large number of research and monitoring projects in Sweden. Some examples of projects that the system has been used in include:
New fishing gear development requires in-situ studies evaluating the behaviour of target and non-target species around the gear, so that catch efficiency can be maximised and unwanted bycatch minimised (
The AquaticVID has been used for fishing gear-related behavioural studies (e.g. Fig.
AquaticVID variants have been used by SLU Aqua researchers and students, to look at animal behaviour around fishing gear. Image a: A grey seal looking for an easy meal investigates a fyke-net: filmed in ongoing research into grey seal behaviour around fyke-nets in the Baltic Sea. Image b: Atlantic Cod trapped in a cod pot filmed as part of a study on fish behaviour in relation to light, different types of bait and fishing gear effectiveness (
Electronic monitoring (EM) of fisheries catch and bycatch, using video camera and GPS-based systems, has been successfully implemented all over the world (
Battery power is often a limiting factor in deployments of baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) (Gore et al. 2020). BRUVS samples generally only last for 30–90 minutes (e.g.
Power bank and SD card specifications, camera alternatives and validation and characterisation of batteries and SD Cards.
Description of camera holders and additional photos. Description of pressure vent and one-way air valves and additional photos.
Examples of some camera mounting options.