The 360Abyss being prepped for a test shoot mounted on a SeaBotix miniROV.

360Heros makes waves at DEMA Show

NOGI award-winning diver Bill Macdonald helped demonstrate the 360Abyss at the 360Heros booth.
NOGI award-winning diver Bill Macdonald helped demonstrate the 360Abyss at the 360Heros booth.

The 360Heros team had a great time demonstrating underwater virtual reality technology at the 2015 DEMA Show. For an event focused on dive equipment, VR technology was a new addition for DEMA and one of the most popular attractions at the show.

360Heros CEO Michael Kintner had the honor of presenting several virtual reality seminars with NOGI award-winning diver Bill Macdonald, who was recently featured in Scuba Diver Ocean Planet magazine for his work using 360Heros underwater VR rigs.

Watch the video below to see highlights from the show:


2015 DEMA Event Highlights at the 360Heros Booth presenting the 360Abyss

Underwater VR Tech

360Abyss mounted on a SeaBotix miniROV.
360Abyss mounted on a SeaBotix miniROV.

One of the key pieces of technology we brought to DEMA was the 360Abyss, our solution for filming VR content underwater. The 360Abyss allows content creators to film high quality virtual reality content and to give viewers a first person perspective of underwater environments.

In collaboration with Teledyne SeaBotix we were able to test the 360Abyss’ buoyancy control compatibility with underwater ROVs. Their LBV300-5 miniROV allows users to mount the 360Abyss to remotely shoot spherical content underwater. With a depth rating of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) and the ability to have positive, negative and neutral buoyancy control, the 360Abyss is compatible with a variety of ROVs and underwater vehicles. This unit is currently used by NOAA, NASA, the Navy, the Army, TIME Magazine and many other divers worldwide.

Underwater VR as a Storytelling Tool

Throughout the show we were thrilled to demonstrate how the 360Abyss system works and to showcase how the resulting virtual reality videos can help divers tell their stories in a whole new way. Whether it’s to promote tourism, conservation or science, content captured in 360° engages audiences like never before. See for yourself in the videos below!

RYOT produced this video using the 360Abyss to promote the humane treatment of dolphins:

Patrick Buerger was awarded the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s 2015 Bommies Award for this video detailing coral disease treatment:

Now that you know a little more about underwater virtual reality, comment below and let us know what you think!