Thursday, August 20, 1998

A small submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with stereo machine vision video cameras is being used by NASA scientists, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard, to search for a fleet of whaling ships lost in the Arctic Ocean in 187 1. The ROV, named Phantom XTL, is an off-the-shelf model designed and manufactured by Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc. (DOE) in San Leandro, California. Vehicles of this type are also used in a wide variety of underwater applications, including scientific and environmental research, pipeline surveys, reservoir and dam inspections, law enforcement, nuclear power plant inspection, movie making, and general diver support.

The ROV has thrusters for maneuverability, video cameras, lights, and sonar for navigation, and a small grabber for retrieving objects. Powered from the surface through its umbilical cable, the ROV can work for long hours in the frigid arctic waters wh ile the pilot sits in a warm comfortable control room. 3D video from the ROV will be processed using computer software developed by NASA for the Mars Pathfinder to produce virtual reality computer simulations of the underwater environment.

DOE has ongoing cooperative research and development programs with NASA and others to develop remotely operated submersible systems with advanced pilot interfaces to enhance the feeling of "telepresence", and with innovative power, communication, and c ontrol systems that will ultimately eliminate the need for an umbilical cable. More information about these projects and DOE’s product line may be found on NASA’s web site at http://duchamp.arc.nasa.gov/doe_html/nasaROV.html and on DOE’s web site at http://www.deepocean.com. More inform ation about the Jeremy project may be obtained at its web site, http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/arctic. E-mail inquiries concerning DOE’s special engineering activities should be directed to Phil Ballou at deepoceans@aol.com.