A student STEM ROV Club in Wausau Wisconsin shows off the ROV they built for their state MATE ROV competition.
Full article available at: 7News Wausau, 30apr18
Engineers inspect dam with ROV
The US Army Corps of Engineers used a VideoRay Pro4 to inspect a hurricane-damaged dam in Puerto Rico as a pre-dive safety assessment.
“We first used an ROV to give us an idea of the safety conditions below the water, before we were willing to send a diver down there, as well as inspect and record portions of the structure that would not be accessible to one of our divers” said Weston Cross, a Buffalo District Engineer and dive team member. “We were able to determine that the gates were where they were supposed to be, the concrete was in good condition, and there weren’t any obstructions that could foul the diver.”
Full article available at: DVIDS News, 31mar18
SeaPerch Marine Robotics Challenge 2018
Students around the world are busy preparing for the 2018 International SeaPerch Challenge in N. Dartmouth Massachusetts in early June. Teams start with the stock SeaPerch kit to create an underwater remotely operated vehicle. Members then have to learn how to make their ROV more simple, streamlined and maneuverable by improving their understanding of drag, buoyancy and thrust. Regional competitions are usually held in Feb-Apr (click here for the full schedule) and winners continue to work hard to make their vehicles even faster by June so their ROV can complete underwater tasks faster than their competitors’.
For more details, go to the 2018 SeaPerch Challenge page
Coast Guard use ROV to check for damage
The US Coast Guard will use scanning sonar and a Commanche ROV used to assess damage to subsea utility cables in the Straits of Mackinac, between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Full story available at: USCG 15apr18
UPDATE 24apr18 – Electrical cable wires were completely severed by a ship’s anchor. Full story at: MiNews26 – Underwater imagery Reveals Cables… 24apr18
Bait Ball video at MTANSW Conference
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]We presented this video to members of the Marine Teachers Association of NSW at their annual conference in Narooma last Friday. We are pretty sure they are juvenile convict goby (Pholidichthys leucotaenia).
Teachers said a bait ball configuration is an excellent defence mechanism for small fish. It allows them to look like a much larger creature or object, and makes it harder for predators to target individuals to eat.[/cs_text][x_video_embed no_container=”false” type=”16:9″]
Bait Ball Ballet from underseaROV on Vimeo.
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