What is an ROV?

An ROV is a submersible vehicle operated by remote control, ( Remotely Operated Vehicle ) stay and you will know what is an ROV? . Much has changed since the first ROVs, small in size packed with cables and with limited range, were submerged for industrial purposes in subsea pipelines.

Don’t get me wrong, those first ROVs were certainly a great help, what I want to share here is how these wonders have evolved and how scientists, marine biologists and electronic engineers have contributed their knowledge to exponentially improve these submersible vehicles.

And the first point is precisely in its acronym Remotely operated: ROVs can be manipulated from the surface with easy-to-use controls, so the pilot can send and receive information, since they work wirelessly or via cable connection depending on the complexity that infers the transmission of radio waves on the seabed.

ROV Advanced Features

Its main characteristic is that it can be piloted with remote control, thus being able to have control over all its functions.

Most ROVs are equipped with at least one fixed camera, video camera, and lights, allowing them to transfer images, video, telemetry, sensor data, and sonar back to the ship or to land.

They admit the addition of additional equipment such as: Handling arms that can cut, take samples of water or marine sediments and use the instruments with which they are equipped to measure water temperature or alkalinity.

ROVs give us the power to investigate areas that are too deep for humans to safely dive, plus they can stay underwater much longer than a human diver, extending the time available for exploration.

The Tether Management System that some ROVs have allows them to do deep submersion work, where the cable is in straight tension in water with strong currents even at depths of up to 3000 feet.

ROV Applications

Although the useful career of ROVs began in the late 1960s when the US Navy developed these submersible vehicles to locate underwater artifacts, today they serve a wide variety of purposes.

Scientific and research

They have been the key to the recent discoveries that science has found in the oceans and the seabed.

industrial

Large oil and gas companies have recognized ROVs as the perfect allies for exploration tasks in wells that would be very dangerous for humans.

salvage and salvage

Cases have been documented where ROVs have found submerged vehicles in lakes and rivers and in cases of missing and

educational

Several Universities are using them for the training of marine biologists, who can carry out field research, which is so important for their academic training.