Remote Underwater Exploration
We had never heard of the Hranice Abyss before catching sight of this article. Hranická Propast, in the Czech Republic, is the world’s deepest underwater cave with a depth of 1,325 feet (404m), as measured by an ROV. The cave was formed by hot, CO2-filled, mineral water bubbling up from an underground spring.
Full article at: ThomasInsights 15sep21
Thales Australia has been working with students at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) as part of the Industry Studio Collaboration Project. Team members recently tested custom ROV control software with some basic underwater manoeuvring and an underwater item-collection challenge using an ROV equipped with a dustpan. Sounds like the next project hurdle will be to implement autonomous behaviour by the ROV so it can identify and collect items without a pilot. Quite a challenge!
Full article at: Thales Test Tank Rescue Mission
We spotted this super-camouflaged, stealth predator on a BlueROV2 dive in Batemans Bay NSW this morning.
Dave said the sting from one of these dorsal fins was the most painful experiences he has had… He has since learned that the venom can be denatured with very hot water.
We love hearing about people using ROVs for safer inspection of vessels and other underwater assets. In this article, the US Navy inspected the USS George H.W. Bush with an ROV:
Did you know that kelp don’t have roots? They use branching, root-like, gnarled structures called holdfasts to anchor themselves to rocks. Holdfasts don’t carry nutrients or water – they are only for securing the kelp to a rock where it will grow.
Here is a photo of a (yellowish) holdfast that we saw recently on a dive with our modified BlueROV2:
