Remote Underwater Exploration
Interesting marine and robotic educational facts
Marine expeditions typically start by scanning the seabed with sonar to look for large anomalies and then use an ROV to confirm the structure with video imagery.
In 2017, NOAA was exploring the Gulf of Mexico and thought they had found a shipwreck. Upon deploying their ROV, they found a large number of washing machines scattered on the seabed floor from a shipping container likely lost during a storm.
Full article at: PetaPixel 01sep26
The “Life in the Extremes” expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute with researchers from National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) found a new species of phantom jellyfish roughly the size of a school bus at a depth of ~250 meters (830 feet) off the coast of Argentina.
Full article at: Discover Wildlife 04feb26
Well-known underwater explorers Christine Dennison and Tim Taylor have generously donated a custom ROV, OTIS, to the University of Delaware’s robotics program, inspiring future generations of adventurers
Full article at: UDel 10dec25
Australia’s CSIRO used an AUV to collect an unprecedented amount of oceanic data during more than 2.5 years travelling ocean currents, including dives below the Denman and Shackleton Ice Shelves, as part of the Argo survey project.
The data will help “improve climate computer models and reduce uncertainties about sea level rise.”
Data Access and Visualizations can be found here: Argo Program
Full article at: Popular Science 08dec25
We don’t hear much about the ROV technicians / pilots / operators behind underwater cameras but here is an interesting article about one such expert at Deep Exploration Solutions:
Full article at: IEEE 27nov25