| Hibbard Inshore - Technology - Research & Archeology |
Research
Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have come a long way since Dmitri Rebikoff developed the first tethered ROV - named POODLE - in 1953. ROV technology advanced rapidly first thanks to the U.S. Navy and subsequently by commercial firms that saw ROVs as a way to tackle many difficult diving situations. They are now used in projects that range from tunnel inspection to archeological research. Recently Mitsui and JAMSTEC in Japan sent an ultra-deep ROV Kaiko to reach the deepest part of the ocean - the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench - at 10,909 meters. The next step in ROV development is the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). A few AUVs are being used by the military, for science, and in the commercial world for survey work. AUV's that actually perform heavy physical tasks are also in development. The primary limitation is the stored electrical capacity. Rather than making quantum leaps to AUV technology, researchers predict that ROV systems will evolve to hybrid systems. Thin fiber umbilicals will continue to provide control, with power carried onboard and charged by stations on the seafloor. They will be deployed to maintain subsea production systems and the associated pipeline manifolds. Future undersea observatories will use a similar approach. For example, an AUV may be designed that can swim from docking station to docking station to dump data and recharge.
Archeology
The Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) has proved to be a valuable ally to archeologists and others interested in underwater treasures. Not only can the ROV locate and survey archeological sites at incredible depths with sonar and video, it can actually use manipulators and other tools to retrieve priceless objects. Perhaps one of the most well-known users of ROV technology is Bob Ballard. He has used a world-class fleet of submersibles to locate the final resting places of vessels like the R.M.S. Titanic, the Bismarck, and the Lusitania. In 1997, Ballard and his team of scientists conducted the first deep-ocean archaeological expedition. The group traveled to the Mediterranean Sea for an expedition to a previously identified debris field suggesting the presence of a fleet of ancient Roman shipwrecks dating to the fourth century A.D. Using the U.S. Navy's deep-sea nuclear research submarine, the NR. 1, they found ships complete with their cargo of shipping containers and column stones spanning five centuries of Roman history beginning in the first century B.C.
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