SE2: MM Glass Bottom Boat: Research

Remote operated vehicles, or ROVs, are commonly used in underwater environments. Nearly all underwater ROVs are equipped with some sort of camera. ROVs are often used for locating wrecks or searching parts of the ocean that humans cannot explore themselves. They can be used for deep or shallow water research.

The Global Explorer is an underwater ROV can be leased. It is modular and lightweight so that it can be easily transported. It is used for downed aircrafts, submarine rescue, emergency salvage, and emergency rescue. The Global Explorer is equiped with an high definition camera. This is just one example of an underwater ROV.1

Fig. 1: The Global Explorer

The VideoRay Scout is another example of an underwater ROV that has a camera on it. It comes with a control box that has a screen that shows what the ROV is filming. It also has 130 ft. of tether, which attaches the ROV to the controls and prevents the ROV from getting lost out of range. 2

Fig. 2: VideoRay Scout

One reason ROVs are important to scientists and researchers is that they are remotely-operated. Researchers work to protect the environment, but sometimes when they are getting their information they are compromising other marine life. Coral reefs are not the only habitats being affected by humans. For example, if a biologist needs to get a sample of plankton in the Sandy Hook Bay they are likely to put on waders and go into the water. This doesn't seem to disrupt anything, but it can. Flounders and skates lying on the sea floor could be stepped on or disturbed. There are many other ways marine life can be disrupted by humans because most shallow water organisms are very small in comparison to humans. Using an ROV can reduce the amount of disruption because it would be smaller than a human and it would not have to stand on the floor of the ocean.3

In order to find a good camera to use on the vessel I decided to look at hobby shops. I knew that cameras were placed on RC helicopters. I found a very small "spy" camera that was light-weight, wires free, compact, and affordable. It is also live feed, which will be crucial when we operate our vessel.

Fig. 3: Small spy camera

The camera has a transmitter that can sit in the vessel, but the camera, the transmitter, and the moving parts will need to be connected to a power source. I looked on the same hobby shop website and found a wide array of batteries that we can use. I'm not sure how much power my system will require, but there are many options in the batteries.