Submitted by Katie Breen on Sat, 03/24/2007 - 16:48
Forums
Antarctic Undersea ROV

What is an ROV and what do you do with it?

Sun, 04/22/2007 - 16:10

Mindy Bell

An ROV is a "Remotely Operated Vehicle" and is described by Wikipedia as a tethered underwater robot.  There are many shapes and sizes of ROV's - but they are all unmanned (no one is on them or in them), maneuverable (so they don't bump into things), and connected with an "umbilical cable" (a bunch of electrical cords) to whoever is operating the ROV.  ROV's are usually operated onboard ships - but the ROV we will be using will be deployed (sent from) the ice surface through 15-cm holes in the ice.  15 cm is only 6 inches - so maybe this will be the world's smallest ROV!ROV's were first developed by the US Navy in the 1960's and are now developed by private industry as well.  They can be used for inspecting oil and gas lines underwater, and underwater communication cables.
ROV's are used in science to study marine environments that are too deep for SCUBA diving, and they are used in exploration as well.  It was an ROV that helped find the Titanic!
I will post a picture of the ROV we will be using as soon as I get one - and then you can see what it looks like.  I am guessing (since it is so small) that it will mostly be housing with a video camera and lights - but we'll find out!
Larger ROV's may have mechanical arms on them, and other scientific equipment like sonars, magnetometers, and water sampling equipment.  I hope that answers your question!