Underwater Vehicles
A curious robot is poised to rapidly expand reef research
WHOI scientists with the Coral Catalyst Team are leveraging a new, artificially intelligent robot to automate coral reef health assessments
Read More“Little Alvin” and the lost H-bomb
How the famed submersible found a lost hydrogen bomb in the Mediterranean Sea during the height of the Cold War
Read MoreAmy Phung: Automating Exploration
For MIT-WHOI Joint Program student Amy Phung, virtual reality and robotics are a natural pairing for ocean exploration
Read MoreHOV Alvin temporarily halts engineering test dives
Test dives for Alvin’s 6500 meter certification have been postponed, a day after the sub reached a record 5338 meters (17,513 feet)
Read MoreWHOI Receives Grant for Curious Robot to Study Coral Reef Ecosystems
The team led by WHOI computer scientist Yogesh Girdhar aims to build a robot capable of navigating a reef ecosystem and measuring the biomass, biodiversity, and behavior of organisms living in or passing through a reef over extended periods of time.
Development of a curious robot to study coral reef ecosystems awarded $1.5 million by the National Science Foundation
A prototype of an autonomous underwater vehicle capable of navigating complex underwater environments and of collecting data adaptively over long…
Read MoreMeet the Alvin 6500 Team: Lisa Smith
Alvin Certification Coordinator Lisa Smith on working with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to get HOV Alvin cleared for diving.
Read MoreSummer with Sentry: Intern Renee Gruner-Mitchell
Renee Gruner-Mitchell on her internship working on AUV Sentry at the National Deep Submergence Facility during the summer of 2021.
Read MoreUnlocking the Mysteries of the Deep Ocean: AUV Orpheus
Introducing AUV Orpheus the next evolution of underwater technology to unlock the mysteries of the ocean and the hadal zone. Orpheus is a new class of autonomous underwater vehicle. It is capable of reaching any part of the ocean and of operating without human intervention during complex missions.
Read MoreDoctoral Dissertation Defense of Thesis: Advances in Passive Acoustic Detection, Localization, and Tracking Applied to Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
Kristen Railey Kita, MIT-WHOI Joint Program Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://mit.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMocOGspzgsE9Yc5U_YdieZPy4OqINiCcI8
Read MoreAOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Advances in Passive Acoustic Detection, Localization, and Tracking Applied to Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
Kristen Railey Kita, WHOI Sponsored by: AOP&E Department This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/93873912253?pwd=Rmo0OXpTT2tJQmNsSzRVNTNwMG1Sdz09 Meeting ID: 938 7391…
Read MoreROV Jason helps recover two other underwater vehicles
On September 2, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason aided in the recovery of two underwater vehicles, ROV Hercules and Argus, that were stranded on the seafloor near British Columbia
Read MoreExploring the Undiscovered Country: The Deep Ocean
Special equipment is required to visit these extreme depths, which is why less than 5% of this area has been explored and charted.
WHOI breaks in new research facility with MURAL Hack-A-Thon
Engineers use test tanks and 3D printers to prototype an acoustic sensor in the new Quissett Research Facility
Read More‘Rolls-Royce’ of shark cameras can extend to turtles, whales, seals and squid for ocean’s big picture
A high-tech SharkCam invented by a Cape Cod researcher offers an unprecedented window into the lives of the ocean’s toothy predators, and can also extend to seals, whales, turtles and squid for a big-picture view of precious ecosystems and how to protect them. “These vehicles, these underwater robots that look like highly complex systems are just an extension of yourself to be able go where people can’t go, and there’s no limitation to what they can do,” said Amy Kukulya, research engineer and principal investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Overhaul to take Alvin to greater extremes
Overhaul to take Alvin to greater extremes Work on Iconic Sub Will Put 99% of The Ocean Floor Within Reach…
Read MoreUnderwater robot Mesobot patrols depths other robots cannot reach
The Mesobot was conceived to complement the work done by existing underwater robots and related systems, filling important gaps that conventional underwater robots have not been able to fill.
Robot Dives 3,000 Feet to Film Creatures in Mid-Ocean ‘Twilight Zone’
Bioluminescent creatures and others inhabiting the dark depths 3,000 feet below the surface in the mid-ocean “twilight zone” — beyond the reach of sunlight — are now being documented by a research robot called Mesobot. The underwater robot was created in a joint effort by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Stanford University.
Alvin: Pioneer of the Deep
The deep-sea submersible Alvin has brought explorers to extraordinary places for more than 50 years. Now, as Alvin is poised to continue its revolutionary scientific work, a new set of upgrades will take it deeper than ever before. A coproduction with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Roaming the Depths: The Role of Autonomous Assets in the EXPORTS Campaign
The difficulty of science at sea has been one driving factor in the development of autonomous platforms for use in scientific research.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution appoints new Chief Scientist for National Deep Submergence Facility
Anna Michel aboard the R/V Falkor for the Hunting Bubbles Cruise to the Cascadia Margin in 2018. The ROV Sebastian…
Read MoreNew glider design aims to expand access to ocean science
Gliders are vehicles vital to collecting oceanographic data, but not accessible to everyone in the ocean community. A team of WHOI engineers want to change that
Read MoreUnderwater robot tracks ocean creatures
An innovative underwater robot known as Mesobot is providing researchers with deeper insight into the vast mid-ocean region known as the “twilight zone.” Capable of tracking and recording high-resolution images of slow-moving and fragile zooplankton, gelatinous animals, and particles, Mesobot greatly expands scientists’ ability to observe creatures in their mesopelagic habitat with minimal disturbance. This advance in engineering will enable a greater understanding of the role these creatures play in transporting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the deep sea, as well as how commercial exploitation of twilight zone fisheries might affect the marine ecosystem.
Read MoreA Clever Robot Spies on Creatures in the Ocean’s ‘Twilight Zone’
Mesobot looks like a giant yellow-and-black AirPods case, only it’s rather more waterproof and weighs 550 pounds. It can operate with a fiber-optic tether attached to a research vessel at the surface, or it can swim around freely.
