Observation Mini ROVs Market Report 2026

The observation mini rovs market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $12.45 billion in 2025 to $13.09 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in offshore oil and gas activities, increased underwater infrastructure inspections, rising use of remotely operated vehicles, demand for safer underwater operations, expansion of marine research programs.

The observation mini rovs market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $16.38 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growth in offshore wind installations, increasing investment in underwater surveillance, rising demand for deepwater inspections, expansion of subsea cable monitoring, advancements in underwater imaging technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing adoption of compact underwater inspection robots, rising demand for high resolution visual observation systems, growing use of mini rovs for offshore infrastructure monitoring, expansion of portable and easy to deploy underwater robots, increasing focus on cost effective alternatives to manned diving.

The growth of the military industry is anticipated to drive the expansion of the observation mini ROVs market in the future. The military industry, often referred to as the defense or arms industry, includes businesses and organizations engaged in the research, development, production, and sale of military equipment, weapons, and technologies aimed at national defense and security. Observation mini remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are utilized by the military for tasks such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and inspection in underwater settings. These vehicles enhance situational awareness and ensure the safety and success of military missions by providing real-time visual information in challenging and hazardous environments. For instance, in September 2024, a report from the Aerospace Industries Association, a US-based aerospace and defense organization, indicated that the total sales revenue for the US aerospace and defense (A&D) sector reached $955 billion in 2023, reflecting a 7.1% increase from 2022. Thus, the growth of the military industry is propelling the observation mini ROVs market.

Significant players in the observation mini-ROV market are actively incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as real-time 3D perception to elevate the level of situational awareness in ROV operations. Real-time 3D perception involves capturing and interpreting the 3D structure of the environment in real-time. Voyis Imaging Inc., a Canada-based subsea optical inspection technologies company, exemplifies this trend with the launch of their discovery vision systems product line in April 2023. This innovative system enhances ROV vision systems by providing high-resolution video and real-time 3D perception for piloting, inspection, and autonomy applications. The system captures low-latency enhanced video for piloting and simultaneously captures high-quality still images for 3D modeling, enabling remarkable 3D reconstructions without the need for specialized technicians or expensive third-party processing.

In October 2025, Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd., a Japan-based provider of marine equipment, industrial machinery, and environmental technologies, entered into a joint venture with Sony Group Corporation to establish YANMAR BLUE TECH Co., Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. Through this collaboration, the companies seek to accelerate the development and commercialization of advanced underwater sensing technologies and next-generation remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to support marine ecosystem conservation, underwater infrastructure inspection, and automated hull-cleaning operations. Sony Group Corporation is a Japan-based provider of imaging sensors, 3D spatial sensing technologies, and digital systems used across marine, mobility, and industrial sectors.

Major companies operating in the observation mini rovs market are Teledyne SeaBotix Incorporated, VideoRay LLC, Saab Seaeye, International Submarine Engineering Ltd., Ocean Modules Sweden AB, 2G Robotics Inc., Blue Robotics Inc., Deep Trekker Inc., MarineNav Ltd., Outland Technology Inc., Blueye Robotics, Argus Remote Systems AS, SEAMOR Marine Ltd., Subsea Tech LLP, Shark Marine Technologies Inc., Aquabotix Corporation, AC-CESS, CISCREA SAS, JW Fishers Mfg, ROBOSEA, Boxfish Research Limited, Gnom ROV, OpenROV, Hydromea SA, Qysea.

North America was the largest region in the observation mini ROVs market in 2025. The regions covered in the observation mini rovs market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the observation mini rovs market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The observation mini ROVs market consists of sales Observation mini ROVs without Payloads and observation mini ROVs with Payloads. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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