Category: News and Notes

Interesting news and activities

Posted on

NEW – Newton Gripper

New from Blue Robotics – the Newton Subsea Gripper! The Newton Gripper provides the BlueROV2 and other subsea vehicles with the ability to interact with the subsea environment to retrieve objects, attach recovery lines, or free a snagged tether.

Blue Robotics’ gripper is the result of several years of work and iterations, evolving into a sealed design which is strong, simple, and affordable. The gripper is ready to use with the BlueROV2 or can be integrated into almost any other ROV and is rated to 300m depth. It uses a standard servo-style PWM control signal just like Blue Robotics’ thrusters and 9-18v power input.

Posted on

Local Council gets BlueROV2

NZ’s Hawkes Bay Regional Council has their own BlueROV2 to allow their coastal and marine scientists to map local sub-tidal habitats and conduct underwater inspections themselves.  Full article at: Scoop Regional 17may18

HBRC Scientists with

HBRC Science staff Anna Madarasz-Smith and Shane Gilmer with Big Blue

Photo Credit: Scoop Independent News

Posted on

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

Photo by Dr. Michael Izard-Carroll, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District