EXTREME Video of the Control of Untethered Underwater Vehicles

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One of the core strengths of the EXTREME technologies programme is underwater communications. Over the last twenty years, Newcastle University has continued to research and develop robust underwater communication systems. A major effort is currently underway in controls technology for remotely operated underwater vehicles or ROV's. This video shows an ROV without any tethers being controlled remotely by acoustic signals in Newcastle University's extensive underwater test labs. The ROV which has no built-in navigation or inertial control system is made to go through a number of underwater manoeuvres using only a remotely located acoustic modem transmitter. Researchers are now developing the communication protocols to enable not only control of the ROV but also for video transmission back to the base station from the underwater vehicle. This technology has a number of potential uses in the oil & gas industry and environmental monitoring in terms of routine pipeline monitoring and remote sensor data logging applications.

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