The ocean sector has a clear emerging vision for underwater exploration—uncrewed surface vessels deploying autonomous subsea platforms, all controlled from ashore. The potential to disrupt the industry by drastically reducing the cost of deployment and access to remote regions is catalysing groups in all segments to pursue this dream, from survey companies to research institutes and global navies.
Looking at the landscape of oceanographic companies, one quickly sees something is afoot. The companies of the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, most of which started in the proverbial garage, have been mostly rolled up into larger conglomerate structures.
New technologies have long driven the need to improve the networks that carry data between them. You need look no further than the growth and expansion of commercial Internet and 5G wireless cellular data to find a quintessential example of the network backbone advancing to meet new information demands.
Electricity is the magic power behind the vast spectrum of our ocean projects. Jules Verne understood this more than 150 years ago when he wrote about the Nautilus, a vessel that circled the globe underwater using a new form of energy he simply called “electricity.”
Worldwide, there is ongoing pressure placed on the safe extraction and operation in oil and gas exploration. The U.S. and other world governments have recently mandated “situational awareness” to the daily operations of large and small operators, and the new checks and balances help verify the safe operation of each asset.
If you have ever tried to locate a sound in a pitch-dark room, you’re already familiar with acoustic arrays. Our ears are a small organic array on our heads, our right and left ear work together to help us localize sounds and sharpen noise in the soundscape.
Underwater. The vastness of our oceans and our understanding of their fathoms are vastly unfathomable! To date, only 20% of our oceans have been thoroughly explored. There are many things that contribute to this lack of exploration, but technological capability is not one of them.
Empty space is often viewed as nothingness or a space that is waiting to be filled—but scientists and engineers know that space is intrinsically valuable. Voids can strengthen structures by design, without adding weight.
In 2018, scientists and engineers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) began researching upgrades to their high-definition camera systems on the 1,800-meter ROV Ventana and the 4,000-meter ROV Doc Ricketts.
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