Robot Divers of the Future! (and present, and some of the past)

ROVs, or remotely operated vehicles, handle much subsea business.    

Ok.  The title is a little bit misleading.  What I'm talking about here are ROVs or remotely operated vehicles.  I should begin by saying that as a lowly student of commercial diving I am not yet anywhere near an expert in the classification or operation of ROVs and am not yet even super familiar with them.  However, they're interesting, awesome (undersea robots?) and a very big part of the diving industry which gets very little limelight.

An ROV keeps a watchful eye on a diver preparing to land a huge clamp.  

These surface tethered underwater machines have, since the 1980s, performed a variety of tasks both in addition to and in place of divers.  ROVs come in a plethora of sizes (from shoebox size to small car size) and with a list of capabilities as varied as their applications.  The ROV, like the surface supplied diver, depends totally on their tether to the surface and the trained pilot operating it topside.  They can be powered electrically or with hydraulics or some combination of the two.  From actual work such as cutting, blasting, building, or construction to observation for science, military use, or industrial inspection, ROVs have certainly taken a share of the work traditionally done by divers.  This is both good and bad.

Like a diver, the ROV is a little awkward out of the water...

MBARI's Ventana ROV allows for scientific exploration in waters far too deep for diving.

On one hand, ROVs can often be used in situations too hazardous or arduous for divers like extreme depths, super cold water, contaminated waters, around dangerous objects, you get the idea.  Also, once you've bought the ROV, you own it.  Despite maintenance costs, you or your company are probably still coming out ahead using the deepsea robot considering you're not paying through the roof to insure your divers.  Perhaps more importantly, they can't complain, don't get bent, and never get paid overtime, and require no decompression.  Though some ROVs are incredibly expensive, you can see the benefits over time from a business point of view.

Teamwork makes the dream work.  

However, in situations requiring human dexterity, decision making, and technique, divers rule and always will.  Often times in these situations the diver will work in tandem with an ROV.  The ROV provides assistance by giving an alternate viewpoint to the topside supervisor by way of HD video.  In fact, on most dives of marked importance there will be a ROV observing the diver allowing topside to provide them with greater support and advisement.

Oh you know, just doing some science.  

I have written this article largely as a vehicle to have a bunch of ROV pictures.  So enjoy that.  Also, if you like the idea of putting your super badass deepsea watch on an ROV in order to test its ridiculous water resistance rating, I've covered it.  Look here.