Humans have been able to venture into just a tiny fraction of Earth’s deepest trenches at the bottom of the oceans—and then for only brief visits and at considerable expense. Expanding on these pioneering expeditions, scientists and engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have built a new efficient, multi-purpose “hybrid” vehicle that can explore and operate in the crushing pressures of the greatest ocean depths. On its first mission, the new vehicle, called Nereus (rhymes with “serious”), will explore the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep—a nearly 7-mile-deep trench east of the Marianas Islands in the western Pacific. The trench extends farther below the sea surface than Mount Everest reaches into the sky. In the future, Nereus could also be used under ice-capped polar waters. Why is Nereus called a "hybrid" ROV? Nereus, an unmanned vehicle, operates in two complementary modes. It can swim freely as an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to survey large areas of the depths, map the seafloor, and give scientists a broad overview. When Nereus locates something interesting, the vehicle’s support team can bring the vehicle back on board the ship and transforms it into a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) tethered to the ship via a micro-thin, fiber-optic cable. Through this tether, Nereus can transmit high-quality, real-time video images and receive commands from skilled pilots on the ship to collect samples or conduct experiments with a manipulator arm. How did Nereus get its name? Nereus is a mythical Greek god with a fish tail and a man’s torso. The name was chosen in a nationwide contest open to junior high, high school, and college students. High-tech components make Nereus smaller and lighter, enabling the vehicle to travel deeper for longer periods
Interactive Nereus Tour
Interactive NereusNereus is a new, one-of-a-kind vehicle designed and operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. It works in two modes: as a free-swimming, autonomous robot that surveys wide areas of the deep sea, or as a vehicle linked to a surface ship via a fiber-optic cable that transmits data and images up and sends commands down. Learn more about the vehicle in this interactive feature. (Requires Adobe Flash Player) Originally published: February 24, 2005 Related Multimedia Nereus AnimationLook under a virtual ocean to see how scientists use Nereus. As an autonomous underwater vehicle, it first maps and photographs the seafloor. Then it transforms and becomes a tethered, remotely operated vehicle capable of picking up biological samples with a manipulator arm. » View Video (Quicktime)  Nereus SlideshowSee engineers building Nereus, testing and developing high-tech components, and taking the vehicle for test dives in Hawaii. Nereus in the News June 4, 2009Nereus Soars to the Ocean's Deepest Trench Engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution surmounted a host of technological challenges to create a new type of deep-diving robot—named after a mythical Greek god with a fish tail and a man’s torso. (First in a six-part series on the development of Nereus.) Read the interviews with the engineers: Miles Under the Sea, Hanging on by a Hair-Thin Fiber A conversation with WHOI engineer Andy Bowen 2,000 Batteries Under the Sea A conversation with WHOI engineer Daniel Gomez-Ibañez Armed and Dexterous A conversation with WHOI engineer Matt Heintz Let There Be Light in the Dark Depths A conversation with WHOI engineer Jonathan Howland Floating Without Imploding A conversation with WHOI engineer Don Peters Source: Oceanus Magazine  June 2, 2009Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle “Nereus” Reaches Deepest Part of the Ocean A new type of deep-sea robotic vehicle called Nereus has successfully reached the deepest part of the world’s ocean, reports a team of U.S. engineers and scientists aboard the research vessel Kilo Moana. The dive to 10,902 meters (6.8 miles) occurred on May 31, 2009, at the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. Source: Media Relations  June 26, 2006New Hybrid Deep-sea Vehicle Is Christened Nereus Like the half-man, half-fish god Nereus, the new vehicle under construction at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will operate in two modes: as a free-swimming robot and tethered to a surface ship by a hair-thin, 25-mile-long cable. Source: Oceanus Magazine  August 27, 2004Realizing the Dreams of da Vinci and Verne Leonardo da Vinci made the first drawings of a submarine more than 500 years ago, and Jules Verne published 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1875. But only in the past few decades has the dizzying pace of technological advances allowed us to realize their dreams of exploring the ocean depths and taking humans to the seafloor. Source: Oceanus Magazine Robot sub aims for deepest ocean From BBC News, Published on May 6, 2009 » Visit Web site Science in Depth--Mini Subs Unlock Mysteries Deep Below the Ocean's Surface From Scientific American, Published April 8, 2009 » Visit Web site To Explore the Deepest Ocean, Nereus Past and Nereus Future Have One Thing in Common—Change! From NOAA, Published March 6, 2007 » Visit Web site Down to the Deep Crossbreeding to make exploring the abyss routine Published in Scientific American, December 2003 » Visit Web site Challenging the Deep Published by Miller, a leading manufacturer of arc welding and cutting equipment. » Visit Web site Last updated: November 9, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
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