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Sentry Returns

September 7, 2018

The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry is a programmable robot capable of remaining submerged for 24 hours or more while carrying out complex physical, chemical, and biological research. The vehicle carries a customizable payload of sensors and samplers that allow it to map and photograph the seafloor, locate hydrothermal vents, and collect samples of plankton in the water. Sentry is often used with the human-occupied submersible (HOV) Alvin or the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason to serve as an advance scout and help scientists plan dives with the other vehicles. It also has new capabilities that allow it to be used at the same time as Alvin and Jason to greatly expand the work researchers can do with limited and valuable time at sea. (Photo by Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)