For sheriff, fire, and search-and-rescue dive teams, an ROV is not a replacement for divers. It is a way to look first: to search, confirm, and document before anyone goes under, and to keep working when conditions make diving a poor call.
That idea is simple. The vehicle has to be small enough to take to the places teams actually work, and capable enough to return a clear picture. Midway is our compact inspection-class ROV, built around that job.
Look before you dive
The first question on many calls is not how to recover a target. It is whether it is safe and useful to put a diver in the water at all. A few minutes of live video can show visibility, depth, current, and snag hazards before a diver enters.
Midway carries a Blue Robotics 4K camera with tilt and two 1,500 lumen lights as standard. The SPU-Lite console has a 15.6 in, 1,000 nit screen, bright enough to read on a boat or on the ice. The complete Midway package includes the vehicle, that console, a tether, cases, and a basic tools and spares kit.
The photograph at the top of this post is from an August 2026 field day on Lake Michigan. It shows an earlier yellow Midway build in the water, with the tether trailing back to the boat. Production hulls are frosted orange glass-reinforced polymer with matte black skids. The idea is the same either way: put the ROV in first, and look before you dive.
When access is tight
Public-safety work often happens at a single, limited access point. Midway is 10 in in diameter, 16.9 in long, and 18 lb in air, and it is designed to fit through a 12 in opening. A carry handle on top of the hull is there for handling and launch.
Six Subseatronics A10 thrusters — four lateral at 45° and two vertical — give precise control in a confined area. That matters when you are working in a small footprint and need the vehicle to hold station and make small moves, not just transit in open water.
Ice rescue and recovery
In ice rescue and recovery, the same principle applies: send the ROV under first. Live video can show the underside of the ice, the hole, currents, and any snags before a diver enters. Midway is rated to 1,000 ft, which also covers deeper recovery work that is well beyond a safe dive.
Power comes from the surface at 400 VDC. On the vehicle, an industrial Vicor power converter provides 1 kW of ROV power and 100 W of accessory power. The SPU-Lite console runs on 90–260 VAC, so it can be fed from a generator or from shore power. Power stays on the surface and comes down the tether, so the vehicle is ready for the next dive without a charge cycle in between.
The stock tether is 9 mm OD copper, 100 m (about 330 ft) in the standard package and available up to 300 m (about 980 ft), with a MacArtney SubConn 8-pin connector.
Searching when the water is dark
Many teams work in low or zero visibility, where a camera and lights will not be enough on their own. Midway's top-front hull piece is interchangeable, so the same vehicle can run a rounded nose for clear water or a nose that carries an optional imaging sonar. Supported options are the Oculus M series, Cerulean Sonar 450 FS, Blue Robotics Ping360, and Tritech Gemini iM series. Sonar is an add-on; it is not part of the base package. An auxiliary 1080p camera is also available if you want a second view.
What to compare when you choose a vehicle
When a team compares ROVs, the useful questions are practical ones:
- Will it fit the smallest access point you actually have?
- Is the camera and lighting enough for the water you usually work in, and can you add sonar later?
- How is the vehicle powered, and what does the topside look like in daylight?
- What is in the complete package, what does it cost, and what is the warranty and lead time?
For Midway, the complete system package is $29,500: the basic ROV, surface console, tether, cases, and a basic tools and spares kit. Lead time is about six weeks, with a 2-year limited warranty. Midway is made in the USA, and we sell direct. If a team is assembling a grant request, we can provide a line-item quote.
If you want to walk through a specific call type or access constraint, request a demo and we will tell you plainly whether Midway is a fit.