What is an ROV?

What is an ROV?

An ROV is a remotely operated vehicle that is attached to a ship and controlled on board by pilots. They are able to complete tasks in the sea including grabbing, moving and placing things in the water. They help scientists explore the oceans from a distance, as it isn’t easy to do it on one’s own.

What parts are there to an ROV?

Arms, the vehicle, motors, display consoles, umbilical and tether cables, and a handling system. Arms are used to perform tasks such as grabbing samples or placing things in the ocean. The vehicle itself is the robot that moves. Display consoles help to view the work that the ROV is doing and what the ROV can see. There is a camera on the ROV for this purpose. Umbilical cables provide hydraulic power to the ROV as well as electrical power and fiber optics. Tether cables on the other hand are used to anchor the ROV and keep it stable. 

How do they move?

ROV’s move because of the motors and their propellers. The propellers- with the help of the control box allows the ROVs to be remote controlled by an operator. Depending on the design, the ROVs may have the ability to move vertically and horizontally. With the right programming and engineering, the ROV will be able to move left and up at the same time or vice versa. 

How do they sense the world?

The ROVs are 100% controlled by an operator. Everything is seen through the lense of a camera which allows the operator to make decisions based on what is seen in the surroundings. 

How do they communicate with humans?

ROVs communicate to humans through an operator. Since the operator is able to see what is going on in the water, he/she is able to communicate to others on what they see.

What are some examples of ROV’s?

One example of an ROV is the ROV Ventana by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. It was is used for exploring the oceans, using a camera system, a hydraulic arm, and sampling tools. This ROV was created by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute). It is used to explore the ocean in Monterey and along the West Coast as far north as Oregon and south as Santa Barbara. It reached 2000 missions in 2001.  One example of a research mission it completed was one measuring the oxygen consumption of sediment-dwelling organisms. This meant collecting sediment from the Monterey Canyon and the ROV carried a benthic respiration system to measure this.

Another example of an ROV is the Argo ROV that helped find the Titanic. The system of television cameras and sonars was led by Titanic expedition leader, Robert Ballard. Argo was developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with funds provided by the Office of Naval Research. Its purpose was to research the ocean bottom, using wide angle film and television pictures while flying 50 to 100 feet above the sea floor, towed by a surface vessel. Aside from the Titanic, Argo was also used to find the sunken WWII  German battleship, Bismarck.

An ROV in action

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