Life is so AMAZING and scientists are still discovering such unusual creatures underwater:
BlueROV2 dive at Manly
We took our BlueROV2 to Manly last week and enjoyed a different view of the iconic wharf area
ALERT – Turnigy 10Ahr battery
To all the BlueROV2 pilots out there: Turnigy has recently (and unexpectedly) increased the size of their 4S, 10Ahr battery, available from HobbyKing. The new version of this battery no longer fits easily into the Blue Robotics 3” battery enclosure. It can be inserted but the fit is so tight that the acrylic enclosure edge cuts into / scrapes the battery external pouch and can result in safety issues.
We suggest that, if you need replacement batteries short-term, you switch to either the Turnigy 4S, 8Ahr battery or the Blue Robotics 4S, 18Ahr battery. We will let you know as soon as we have a better solution to this issue.
UPDATE 28/11/19:
To update you quickly, we purchased four Turnigy 10Ahr batteries this week and found that the dimensions fell within declared specifications, and they all fit into the 3” battery enclosures. What a relief!
We apologise for raising the alarm earlier but there could still be a possibility that you, like us, might receive a larger Turnigy 10Ahr battery. There does not appear to be any batch number or any other marker to identify one from the other, so the best we can suggest is that you test-fit any new Turnigy batteries you receive before going into the field.
Giant Squid Spotted in US Waters
A juvenile giant squid was caught on video earlier this year at a depth of 759m, responding to a pulsing LED light experiment on a NOAA expedition. This elusive species was last seen on video in 2012 off Japan.
AUVs docking on seafloor
Riviera Maritime Media reported a recent demonstration by Saab showing their Sabretooth AUV’s ability to perform tasks like inspection and maintenance, and return to a subsea docking station for recharging and video download. Quite amazing advance that will allow ROVs/AUVs to stay at depth for dramatically longer periods.
Blue Robotics’ BlueROV2 is also capable of being “permanently submerged” at >800m, which MBARI and The Quest Institute working together with others have done with their unit: