A low-cost ROV system for full ocean depth operations
Fredrik Søreide
Promare
Diving deep
• Only a handful of systems have been developed to reach the
deepest parts of the ocean (>6000m).
• The following vehicles have visited the Mariana Trench:
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Trieste reached the Challenger deep in 1960
Kaiko/Abismo full ocean depth ROVs developed by JAMSTEC
Nereus full ocean depth HROV developed by WHOI
James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger submersible
Diving deep – on a budget
• In order to explore the deepest parts of the world’s oceans on
a small budget, Promare, a US non-profit organization, began
development of a low-cost, full-ocean-depth robotic vehicle
system
• The design utilizes the latest developments of:
– Materials technology
– Battery technology
– Software development
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Goal: To explore the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, previously
unvisited by man or machine, using a custom built AUV/ROV.
Abyssobrotula galatheae, world’s deepest
fish dredged from the Trench in 1970
The Puerto Rico Trench
Robotic vehicle development
Control system
LED lights
HD camera
Glass
sphere
Drop
weight
system
Batteries
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Amphipods
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Amphipods
• Amphipods are prolific scavengers in the
deep sea, dominating the deepest trench
communities.
• Scopelocheirus schellenbergi is a species of
amphipod that have so far only been
found in ultradeep trenches in the Pacific.
• There is no direct corridor of equivalent
depth between the north and western
Pacific Trenches and the Puerto Rico
Trench.
• Ongoing research in the HADEEP project.
Dive to the Puerto Rico Trench
Other results
Two benthic invertebrates were also observed in the video:
• One soft dark individual, 10 - 20 cm, is identified by Dr.
Stace E. Beaulieu (WHOI) as a sea cucumber, tentatively
assigned to genus Peniagone
• The other individual, a smaller crustacean, is tentatively
identified as a munnopsid isopod (crustacean), based on
morphology and similar walking and jumping movements
observed for other hadal munnopsid isopods
• No fish…!
From robot to ROV
Cooperation with Norwegian ROV manufacturer Sperre AS to develop
the system into an ROV
ROV specifications
Future plans
• Promare will dive the ROV to the bottom of Lake Tanganyika, the
world’s second deepest and oldest lake in October 2014
• Cooperation with TAFIRI Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute
• Will study geological and biological features in the deepest parts
Conclusions
• Successfully developed a low cost robotic system for full ocean
depth exploration.
• First dive to the Puerto Rico Trench carried out in 2012.
• The system has been developed into a commercial ROV system
by Norwegian ROV manufacturer Sperre AS.
• We will continue to dive deep in 2014!
www.promare.org
VISIT STAND E 401 TO VIEW THE SYSTEM