How they work
ROV is short for Remotely Operated Vehicle. There were two used on the 2004 expedition to the RMS Titanic. This expedition was called "Return to the Titanic". ROV's are basically robots. They are able to go deep into the ocean and send images back. ROV's are remotely operated by people on the deck of a ship. The operator is linked to the vehicle by multiple cables. They send the vehicle commands through electrical impulses. These commands can even make the ROV use a robotic arm and pick items up off the oceanfloor.
Hercules ROV
The Hercules ROV was originally created for the Institute for Exploration (IFE). It has the abliity to dive to depths of up to 4,000 meters. Hercules isn't just suited for deep sea diving, but is also well equiped for biology and geology. The vehicle has several cameras and sensors, one of which is HD. The sensors measure pressure, water temperature, the amount of oxygen in the water, and salinity (the amount of dissolved salt in the water). Hercules is able to move up and down in the water because of the propellers in the vehicle's ducts. The yellow part of Hercules is a type of floatation device. It helps the ROV to be denser than the seawater, making it float on the surface. The floatation device is made of a synthetic foam consisting of tiny glass spheres in the plastic. The cables connecting the driver to the ROV are protected by a mineral oil.
ROV's never travel alone. Hercules' buddy is known as the Argus, it's controlled differently than the Hercules and made differently. Argus is made of steel. It is not operated but rather moved when the cable it is attached to moves. The job of Argus to make sure the operator of Hercules knows what is around it and to allow the operator to see what is happening. Argus like Hercules has a HD camera and lights.
MATE International Student ROV competition
This competition uses ROVs to teach science to students. During the competition students build a ROV to do jobs underwater.
Information on the competition-
http://www.materover.org/rov_competition_files/2011/ROVbro.2011.final.110510_FINAL.pdf
News coverage-
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=914
Information on the competition-
http://www.materover.org/rov_competition_files/2011/ROVbro.2011.final.110510_FINAL.pdf
News coverage-
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=914
Extras
Want to build you're own ROV? Go here for directions! -
http://www.homebuiltrovs.com/
Save the underwater world from global warming by taking pictures of fish! -
http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/games/game_rov.html
Build a ROV and then test it! -
http://www.immersionlearning.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=216
Find out more about the Return to Titanic expedition!-
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/return-to-titanic-1113/Photos#tab-Overview
http://www.homebuiltrovs.com/
Save the underwater world from global warming by taking pictures of fish! -
http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/games/game_rov.html
Build a ROV and then test it! -
http://www.immersionlearning.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=216
Find out more about the Return to Titanic expedition!-
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/return-to-titanic-1113/Photos#tab-Overview
