The word 'robot' can mean many different things.
So what exactly are ocean robots and what do they do? Find out below.
The word 'robot' can mean many different things.
So what exactly is an ocean robot and what do they do? Find out below.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution conducts research all over the world—from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean and from Challenger Deep to the sea surface—using a wide variety of marine robots to meet the needs of the job.
Arctic Ocean
The Ice-Tethered Profiler gives scientists a view of conditions in a changing Arctic Ocean. More »
Hydrocarbon Seeps
Scientists use vehicles like Sentry and Alvin to provide an up-close look at naturally occuring seeps. More »
Titanic
Scientists have photographed and mapped the famous wreck to study how it has changed over time. More »
Shelfbreak
Conditions at the edge of the continental shelf support a rich marine ecosystem--and require a robot to study in depth. More »
Hydrothermal Vents
New search methods using underwater robots are helping find new vent sites around the world. More »
Salinity
Mapping ocean salinity with robotic gliders provides a window into the global water cycle. More »
Air France Flight 447
Questions about Air France flight 447 could only be answered by finding the airplane wreckage using REMUS 6000. More »
Sea Ice
Sea ice is a poorly understood part of the ocean--one that requires a robot to study. More »
Challenger Deep
Nereus was designed to explore ocean's greatest depths and to show scientists things they've never seen. More »
Underwater Volcano
ROV Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. More »
Open Ocean
An army of robotic Argo floats is mapping the ocean in ways that help scientists understand what is happening beyond the view of satellites. More »
For 50 years, robotic technology behind the deep-diving human occupied submersible Alvin has enabled discoveries at the forefront of human knowledge.
These torpedo-shaped autonomous vehicles are used to explore the ocean using a wide variety of instruments at a range of depths.
Sentry is an autonomous underwater vehicle capable of carrying sophisticated sensors and maneuvering over the seafloor down to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) depth.
Jason/Medea is a remote-controlled, tethered underwater system that gives shipboard scientists round-the-clock access to the seafloor down to 6,500 meters (21,325 feet).
This one-of-a-kind vehicle was able to operate as either an autonomous, free-swimming robot for wide-area surveys, or as a tethered vehicle for close-up investigation.
The SeaBED class of AUVs can maneuver slowly or hover over the seafloor to depths of 5,000 meters (16,404 feet), making them ideal for collecting detailed sonar and optical images.
Gliders are low-power autonomous underwater vehicles that move through the water by diving and surfacing.
Argo is a global array of more than 3,000 free-drifting floats that measures the temperature and salinity of the upper 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) of the ocean for extended periods.
An Ice-tethered Profiler is a sensor package anchored to floating sea ice and that moves between the surface to 800 meters depth for continuous, long-term monitoring in Arctic waters.
The ocean is vast, and to explore it we need to use every kind of tool.
- James Cameron, explorer and filmmaker -
