Get to know iBubble

The operating principle of the drone makes it follow the remote control placed on the diver at a given distance, maintaining a depth almost identical to that of the remote control (a little above by default).
If, during the dive, the seabed is sloping, slanted or there are drops, the diver must ensure that the drone passes the “obstacles” and stages of the course after it.

Indeed, the drone always tries to keep up with the diver even if it detects an obstacle (the seabed): the depth instruction has priority over obstacle avoidance.
Therefore, if the diver makes a descent along the seabed and without considering the follow distance with the drone, the drone will make a downward movement to follow the depth of the diver and can thus be stuck on the seabed.
In this case of seabed detection, the drone stops, and its engines are disarmed; its lamps start to flash quickly, and sound signals are emitted.
It will then try to rearm his engines to resume tracking if it still detects a valid acoustic signal (and therefore the distance between the drone and the underwater remote control is not too important).
If the diver continues his descent without paying attention to the drone, the drone can begin to “plow” the ground while advancing.

The iBubble Camera partner app is available on the Google PlayStore and Apple Store.
It can be downloaded on any smartphone, as well as the Explorer Remote.

It is possible to choose an iBubble diving profile to adapt your iBubble experience to your dive and your iBubble knowledge.
Choosing a profile will change which scenarios are available on your remote during your dive.

Diver

Diver is the default profile when starting the drone.
All scenarios are activated, except “ Surface “.

Beginner

This profile is made for beginners to assist them in while they they learn how iBubble works.
All scenarios are available except those which requires a more advanced knowledge of the drone, such as “Ride”, “Come to me “, “Surface” and “Stay”.
With this scenario, obstacle avoidance is permanently activated.

Instructor

Instructor is a profile made for group diving. This allows the diver with the remote to enjoy the dive with the group.
All scenarios are activated, except “Ride”.

Snorkeler

Snorkeler is a profile adapted to snorkeling and freediving activities.
All the scenarios are activated, except “Surface” and “ Stay”.

Yes, thanks to the Explorer pack, it is possible to control iBubble from the surface. Just plug in the cable and launch the app on your smartphone or controller and you can explore the depths without getting in the water!

Yes, iBubble is equipped with sensor that allows the drone to identify obstacle from 1,5 meters in any direction.

However, obstacles avoidance is deactivated in this case :

• Between 0 and 2 meters depth under the surface.
• In Explorer Mode
• If you choose to deactivated it during the dive

iBubble is autonomous because it is able to follow the remote without any cable, but it is not an intelligent robot able to identify where it is and take decision on where to go. It will only react to the command you communicate from the remote and adapt its position according to the transmitter. So you have to be sure iBubble is following you and have not faced some difficulties on the way.

In any case, please remember that the drone is always under your responsibility.

It is not currently possible to pair the GoPro Hero 8 Black with iBubble.
Only GoPro version 5 to 7 are compatible with iBubble.

iBubble is not designed to navigate in caves, wrecks or other semi-enclosed spaces. It won’t be able to detect a ceiling, if there is one.
When entering an enclosed space, it is strongly advised to keep iBubble in manual mode thanks to the “Come” scenario until you are out in an open space.
You can also use iBubble in ROV mode thanks to the Explorer cable and WiFi reel.

It is possible to re-synchronize your iBubble and its remote directly underwater. This feature can be useful if you accidentally switch off the remote underwater.
Simply switch on the remote and wait for it to display “Connect”, then put it on iBubble. Wait for the remote to display “Disarmed” before taking it off.

Important remarks :
Failing to re-activate the remote before putting it on the drone will shutdown the drone.
Underwater synchronization is NOT possible after the drone shutdown.

Never turn on the drone underwater.

The iBubble remote has a list of shortcuts which you can use to quickly access the remote’s functions.

• Double press “Mode” button: Change Far/Close distance of the drone.
• Double press “Select.” button: Activate the « Follow » scenario.
• Double press “Scen.” button: Activate the record from the paired GoPro.
• Press “Mode” & “Scen.” buttons at the same time: Activate « Disarmed » scenario.
• Press the three buttons at the same time: Shut down the remote.

This safety plug allows you to quickly shutdown iBubble in case of emergency. Once the plug is pulled out of its socket, the drone will immediately shutdown. In order to be able to restart the drone again, the plug needs to be put back into its socket. This plug is mandatory for the drone’s activation. When removing or adding weights, make sure you keep the cord attached to the screw.

IMPORTANT! Do not let the cord float free in any case! If it floats free, it will get stuck in the motor and potentially damage the drone!

iBubble is equipped with a standard action camera mount, which allows you to attach GoPro and other cameras.

If you want to synchronise your action camera with iBubble to be able to record video and take pictures remotely from the underwater remote control in follow mode or from the iBubble app in ROV mode only GoPro 5 to 7 are compatible.

You can find the process to pair the GoPro on the user guide here.

Please note that some cameras may be too big for iBubble and hide the internal camera window.

Yes, you can use any batteries provided by Notilo Plus.

iBubble automatically detects its charge level.

When it becomes critically low, iBubble will flash its blue LED quickly and switch to the Come scenario. You can then disarmed it to pick it up and finish your dive.
If you are near the boat and have warned the surface safety crew, you can also send it directly to the surface using the “Surface” scenario.

If the battery is completely empty, iBubble will shutdown and slowly rise to the surface thanks to its slightly positive buoyancy.

You can check the battery level at any time by placing the remote on its dedicated place on the drone, the battery level will be displayed on the screen.

The charging time of an iBubble battery is 2h30.

The internal camera of iBubble is part of the tracking diver system. iBubble uses its image recognition software to identify the shape of the diver underwater, which improves its stability when following. This camera is also used by the Explorer Pack as live video feedback.
However, the internal camera doesn’t record videos or take video – this is done via your own action camera.

iBubble emits mainly sounds when activating at the beginning of the dive when arming its propellers. It won’t emit any sounds during the dive and the propellers are not noisy.
The frequency and level of the acoustic emissions are not dangerous for the marine fauna and flora.

iBubble’s scenarios catalog will evolve over time. Currently the scenarios available are:

Disarmed
This scenario starts automatically when the drone is turned on and synchronized with the remote. When this scenario is activated, the drone is on standby. You can then manipulate the drone safely underwater or out of water.
While diving underwater, activate this scenario to immediately stops the drone if needed.
The “Disarmed” scenario must be activated before handling the drone and it is also the scenario to activate in case of emergency or distress situation.

Follow
iBubble follows the diver holding the drone’s remote, respecting the distance previously set up in the iBubble App settings. iBubble will always try to stay at the set distance, backing away or moving forward accordingly to the position of the diver.

Come to me
iBubble moves close to the diver, then stops and wait for another command. Activate the “Disarmed” scenario for safety and grab the drone by its handles to manually film the points of interest or move forward in tightest places where the drone could not go using another scenario.
To reactivate the drone, take some distance with the drone and activate another scenario.
Be careful not to hold the drone when it is reactivated.
Each time the drone is reactivated it will emit a sound signal.

360
iBubble will execute a circle around the diver while keeping it in the center of the frame. When you activate this scenario, it is advised to stay still to get the best effect.

Stay
This scenario forces iBubble to stay in place at its current depth while
the diver moves. When this scenario is activated, the drone remains at its current depth
whether the diver is moving or not. The drone will continue to look in the direction of the diver allowing you to take a stable, panoramic view.
Be careful not to get too far from iBubble, as it may lose the transmitter’s signal and rise to the surface.

Surface
iBubble goes to the surface automatically and stay 50 cm under the surface in standby waiting for another command.
Always keep an eye on the drone as it can get carried away by the swell.

Buddy L/R
The “Buddy L” or “Buddy R” scenario are replacing the “Lead” scenario.
iBubble will come at your Right or Left looking forward to dive with you like a dive partner and will film ahead the diver.
It is best to always start a “Buddy” scenario after the “Follow” scenario.

Side L/R
iBubble will come perpendicularly to the diver on his Left or Right side looking at the diver. During Side scenario the moving speed is slower than other scenario, so you need to adapt your speed accordingly to ensure iBubble to follow you and remain at your height.
It is best to always start a “Side” scenario after the “Follow” scenario.

Ride
Activate first the ”Come to me” scenario for iBubble to come next to you. Then activate “Ride” scenario, the drone will wait few seconds for you to grab its handles and will start to carry you around like a sea scooter. Stop the “Ride” scenario by rotating the drone by 180 on itself.
Be careful while using this scenario.
Check before your air stock and adapt the depth accordingly.
Do not to place your hands too close to the propellers.
In case of any trouble release the drone’s handles, it will stop after few seconds and will disarm.

The maximum depth iBubble can reach is limited to 60 meters.
Thanks to its internal systems, iBubble will stop automatically at this depth, even if you don’t.

iBubble can swim in currents reaching a speed of 2 knots in Follow scenario. With its 7 propellers and internal stabilization system, it will remain stable.
However, if you face a strong current and you hang on something, it might not be able to maintain its position and be carried away.

Always keep an eye on iBubble during a dive. You are responsible of the drone.

The maximum iBubble speed is 1.5 meters per second underwater.

iBubble comes with two integrated lights. These lights are 1000 lumens each, and are directly connected to the drone’s battery.
You can control the lights during the dive thanks to the remote and the “Mode” menu.

Yes, iBubble is slightly buoyant, even in fresh water!
It uses its vertical propellers to stabilize itself vertically. It is possible to adjust iBubble’s buoyancy by removing or adding weights. Ensure that the rope of emergency plug is fixed with the screw even without the weights.

No, because it is protected in a watertight compartment. However, you can change it very quickly on the boat, in the dry zone.
Find here a video tutorial on how to put the battery in the drone.

If you are using the Explorer Pack, make sure you do not let the cable connected to the drone while changing the battery, it might damage both the drone and the connector.

No, it is not included with iBubble. However, thanks to our camera action mount included in the hull, you can put any action camera you want on the drone.
Plus, the iBubble Camera Application allow you to pair your GoPro 5 (and above version) in order to control the GoPro directly with the remote underwater or with the iBubble Camera application in Explorer Mode.

You will find the process to pair your GoPro with the drone within the video tutorial section here or on the user manual downloadable here.

The distance of iBubble from the diver holding the transmitter can be set between 1.5 meters to 6 meters thanks to the iBubble Camera Application.
If during the dive iBubble get stuck and you continue to dive further, iBubble will completely lost the signal above 29 meters of distance.

If the drone does not receive any signal or command during 90 seconds, iBubble will automatically surface by activating its Emergency surface mode.
It will then wait under the surface to be recover.
Caution: the drone will kept its depth but may be driven away by the swell.

Yes, updates will be regular according to feedback and natural evolution of the product.

Turning on iBubble’s lights does have an impact on its battery life, although it is kept to a minimum. With normal conditions, the battery life with lights on should be about one hour.

If iBubble detects a leak inside its battery compartment or in its electronic components, it will surface and turn off. Do not attempt to swim back up to it right away – always respect proper diving safety procedures.

iBubble cannot be switched off underwater. Except in case of emergency by pulling out the safety plug under the drone.
Otherwise, the drone can only be deactivated using the “Disarmed” Scenario thanks to the remote while diving or via the iBubble Camera Application in Explorer Mode.

If for any reason iBubble has been switched off underwater, is it prohibited to turned it on underwater. Bring it back to the surface and restart the drone there.

You can configure your iBubble via the official iBubble Camera Application.

In the iBubble Camera application, you will find within the scenarios category the parameters to set the position of the drone according to you and the remote’s transmitter while diving with it.

The Distance is to set the position of the drone on the horizontal plane. You can set the close distance between 1.5 meters to 3 meters and the far distance between 3 meters and 6 meters.
The vertical shift sets the vertical position of the drone. The distance covered is between 0 and 1,5 meters.

Once set, the drone’s position can only be changed on the horizontal plane during the dive thanks to the remote by selecting the Far/Close mode.
If you want to change the settings you will need to do it with the iBubble Camera application and out of water.

The iBubble remote is equipped by an acoustic transmitter at the end of the cable that communicates the order to the 4 hydrophones on the drone.

The drone is able to triangulate the position of the diver thanks to the transmitter’s remote and a pressure sensor in the remote. So it is important to do not let too much distance between the transmitter and the remote during the dive.

Make sure that you do not lose it underwater!

iBubble follows the remote. To have iBubble follow another diver, you simply give the remote directly underwater.
iBubble will detect the switch and will start following the other diver.

The obstacle avoidance is done by means of an acoustic signal.

The drone detects obstacles in a radius of 1 meter to 1.5 meter around it; it can be represented as a sphere of about 3 meters in diameter with the drone in its centre.

Obstacle avoidance therefore only activates from a depth of 2 meters to avoid detecting the water surface as an obstacle.

When the drone detects an obstacle, its reaction is to slow down or stop, to take height and start again.

This loop will repeat itself as many times as the drone detects the obstacle.

(Sand, landforms, algae, air bubbles, another diver, an object floating in the water etc. can be considered as obstacles by the drone.)

During the obstacle avoidance action, the green LED on the front of the drone flashes to show you the obstacle detection.

If the diver moves forward while the drone slows down following an obstacle detection, the distance between the drone and the diver will increase and may reach a threshold where communication between the transmitter of the underwater remote control and the drone will no longer be operational – The drone will no longer receive a valid signal from the underwater remote control.

If the absence of a valid signal continues for more than 90 seconds, the drone will enter a protective mode, and will engage the “surface” scenario to return to the surface automatically.

Once it reaches the surface, it will disarm and stabilize at a depth of about 50 cm, waiting to be recovered or to receive a new order.

It is always recommended to monitor the drone and keep in mind that once on the surface the drone can be carried away by the swell and drift.

You can check iBubble’s battery status underwater by placing the remote above its designated spot. The battery status will be displayed on the remote’s screen.

When it becomes critically low, iBubble will flash its blue LED quickly and switch to the “Come” scenario. You can then pick it up and finish your dive, if you are near the boat and have warned the surface safety crew, you can also send it directly to the surface using the “Surface” scenario.

If the battery is completely empty, iBubble will shutdown and slowly rise to the surface thanks to its slightly positive buoyancy.