Dueling ROVs: Robots filming robots in Monterey Bay
MBARI’s marine operations staff and ROV pilots recently performed an intricate underwater robot ballet 650 meters (2,000 feet) below the surface of Monterey Bay. Their goal was to capture underwater video of MBARI’s two large ROVs. The footage will be used in video productions by MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Having one robot shoot video of another robot sounds simple, but this was an extremely challenging operation. Though operating deep below the sea surface, the robots are controlled from two different research vessels at the sea surface. The ROVs are connected to these ships by very long tethers that carry thousands of volts of electrical current and transmit data through hair-thin fiber-optic fibers. Even during normal ROV dives, the ROV pilots must be very careful to avoid tangling the tethers or catching them on the propellers of the host ships. With two ROVs in the water at the same time, one of the biggest risks is tangling the tethers of the two vehicles. This prospect becomes even more likely when the two vehicles are close together. In this case, the ROVs had to get within a few meters of one another to get good video footage.
But this expedition went swimmingly well and although the shoot was a bit stressful for the ROV pilots and the ship captains, the resulting video clips will be used for years to come.
Video editor: Kyra Schlining
Production team: Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun, Lonny Lundsten, Nancy Jacobsen Stout
