WaveShot: A Compact Portable Unmanned Surface Vessel for Dynamic Water Surface Videography and Media Production
Shijian Ma, Shicong Ma, Jianhao Jiao
TL;DR
WaveShot addresses the lack of compact, affordable USVs for professional water surface videography. It combines a lightweight bodyboard hull with differential underwater propulsion, a Pixhawk/ArduPilot control stack, a 4K waterproof camera, and monocular depth estimation via Depth Anything to enrich footage. The paper demonstrates hardware design, autonomous navigation, remote operation, and depth-aware filming across static and moving water scenes, validated through pool and on-water experiments and qualitative depth outputs. The results suggest WaveShot offers a practical, accessible platform for film production and visual arts with potential for future improvements in gimbal stabilization and advanced computer vision for aquatic filming.
Abstract
This paper presents WaveShot, an innovative portable unmanned surface vessel that aims to transform water surface videography by offering a highly maneuverable, cost-effective, and safe alternative to traditional filming methods. WaveShot is designed for the modern demands of film production, advertising, documentaries, and visual arts, equipped with professional-grade waterproof cameras and advanced technology to capture static and dynamic scenes on waterways. We discuss the development and advantages of WaveShot, highlighting its portability, ease of transport, and rapid deployment capabilities. Experimental validation showcasing WaveShot's stability and high-quality video capture in various water conditions, and the integration of monocular depth estimation algorithms to enhance the operator's spatial perception. The paper concludes by exploring WaveShot's real-world applications, its user-friendly remote operation, and future enhancements such as gimbal integration and advanced computer vision for optimized videography on water surfaces.