ROV Blog Team 4 : What is an ROV?

What is an ROV?

An ROV is a remotely operated vehicle. ROVs are unoccupied underwater robots that are connected to a ship by a tether. The tether transmits command and control signals between the ROV and the person operating it on the boat. Sometimes ROVs include a light, a camera, a manipulator arm, and sonar systems. The hydraulic arm can pick things up, move things, and collect things. It differs from AUV in that an AUV is not attached to a ship. It is an unoccupied underwater robot that is connected to the ship by a series of underwater cords.

There are several components to an ROV. The components of the ROV are contained within the essential frame. Information is relayed from the ROV to the boat/land through a tether. Some other helpful pieces are cameras and a hydraulic arm which can help gather further data. To keep the ROV buoyant, a floatation device has to be put in. An ROV has to be weighted on the bottom and equipped with floatation devices on the top. A piece to center the ROVs gravity helps the ROV from tipping over. The ROVs are able to move vertically and horizontally with thrusters and a remote control kept on land. The remote control commands the thrusters to propel the ROV in a certain direction. A control box is kept in the ROV to house any electrical work that cannot come in contact with water.

ROVs sense the world through the cameras that are attached to it. The cameras basically act as the ROVs eyes and help it get around so that the person who is controlling it can see where it’s going. ROVs also have an arm (manipulator arm) which helps it retrieve many items. An ROV can communicate with humans through a remote control. Humans can use a remote control to tell the ROV where to move to and what tasks to perform.

The ROV Doc Ricketts was made by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. This ROV collected samples from the sea floor for scientists to study tiny organisms that live in the sea mud. The HYSUB 10 is an HP ROV for drilling support and pipeline inspection. The HYSUB 10 is the smallest of the electro-hydraulic ROVs. It was made by the International Submarine Engineering Group. The HYSUB 25 is an offshore support and research ROV. It was also made by the International Submarine Engineering Group. ROV Ventana was built for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute by International Submarine Engineering. It has standard instruments and cameras. It also has sensors, a high definition camera, and an animal collection device.