BCO-DMO BlogInstrument: Remotely Operated Vehicle
Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are unoccupied, highly maneuverable underwater robots operated by a person aboard a surface vessel. They are linked to the ship by a group of cables that carry electrical signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. Most are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. These may include a still camera, a manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration, and temperature.
Submersible Capable of under Ice Navigation and Imaging (SCINI) is a small, slender vehicle that can fit through a 20 cm hole in the ice, allowing for deployment without heavy drilling equipment and with minimal logistical support. Its maximum depth capability is 300 m. SCINI is equipped with two video cameras, scaling lasers, and lights, with forward speeds of up to 4 knots. SCINI uses Ethernet over power on a 400 m long two-wire tether. A long baseline acoustic positioning system is used for navigation which uses a combination of two to four acoustic transducers hanging below the ice and a synchronized pinger on the vehicle for positional accuracy of better than 1 meter. [See Cazenave, F, R Zook, D Carroll, M Flagg, S Kim. 2011. Development of the ROV SCINI and deployment in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Journal of Ocean Technology 6(3):39-58.]
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