Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a breakthrough technology "SeaSplat" that can perform color correction and three-dimensional reconstruction of underwater images, so that the underwater landscape shows true colors as if "after the water disappeared".
This system utilizes a 3D Gaussian Splatting model, which can automatically eliminate the distortion and attenuation of light by the water body, allowing scientific researchers to achieve virtual diving and explore the real-color underwater world from any angle for the first time.
The biological diversity in the ocean is extremely rich, but the physical properties of "water" (such as light scattering and attenuation) make true observation at long distances extremely difficult. SeaSplat combines specific color restoration algorithms and 3D modeling to solve the problem of color distortion caused by backscattering and light attenuation in traditional underwater images. The research team used multi-regional seabed data captured by divers and unmanned underwater vehicles to successfully generate a colorful and more realistic underwater three-dimensional scene model.
The SeaSplat system is expected to become a new tool for marine biology research. For example, using this system, researchers can conduct real-time three-dimensional monitoring of underwater coral reefs and remotely and accurately observe ecological problems such as coral bleaching. Compared with previous algorithms, this technology is highly computationally efficient and suitable for large-scale 3D reconstruction.
Currently, SeaSplat still relies on high-performance computing platforms, but in the future it is expected to be used in mooring detection and remote underwater collection tasks, providing an indispensable tool for marine biodiversity assessment and ecological monitoring.
The research results will be released at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) and have been funded by the National Science Foundation and other institutions.
SeaSplat technology generates true-color images of underwater scenes, captured by the MIT team's underwater robot. The original photo is on the left, and the color-corrected version with SeaSplat technology is on the right. Image source: Provided by Daniel Yang, John Leonard, Yogesh Girdhar