Schmidt Ocean Institute Tests New ROV

By Mike Ball / 29 Aug 2016

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

Schmidt Ocean Institute ROV

The Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) has announced that it has completed a month of rigorous testing of its new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) SuBastian in the open ocean off the island of Guam in the western Pacific. The testing and integration of the new ROV was carried out from aboard SOI’s 272 foot oceanographic research vessel Falkor.

The 25-day testing placed ROV SuBastian in real-world conditions, demonstrating its functionality as a modern research tool with innovative systems. The ROV tests and trials included 22 dives and more than 100 hours underwater. Now that the vehicle has been tested, the team is working on making tweaks and improvements so that SuBastian is ready for its first research cruise later this year, visiting the Mariana Back-Arc in Guam. The 4K high-resolution video footage collected with SuBastian will be openly shared with scientists and interested public around the world.

Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute, has watched SuBastian go from concept to a full-functioning vehicle. “I am very proud of what our team has been able to accomplish in the past year. With ROV SuBastian, we will help make life on the ocean floor real to people who will never visit the sea, so they, too, can begin to appreciate the importance of ocean health and make the connection between life in the deep sea and life on land. You don’t have to be a scientist at sea to recognize the importance of the marine environment, and we are only at the beginning of our understanding. We never anticipated discovering the world’s deepest living fish, the ghostfish, back in 2014, and are excited about the life we will discover next.”

The ROV is connected to an umbilical tether that powers and transfers data for live video telepresence operations, resulting in SuBastian’s ability to potentially stay submerged and explore for multiple days at a time. This is the first submersible vehicle that SOI, founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, has designed and built. ROV SuBastian was built to meet the needs of scientists aboard Falkor, while considering the well-being of the entire marine environment. The ROV is designed to go to depths of 4,500 meters (2.8 miles), and will be suitable to support high resolution seafloor mapping, photomosaicing, video and image gathering, and collections of rocks, animals, and seawater samples. SuBastain is equipped with a versatile array of power and data interfaces to enable integration of a wide range of add-on deep sea instruments and samplers that oceanographers may need to support their deep sea research.

Schmidt Ocean Institute provides collaborating researchers and scientist’s free access to research vessel Falkor, as well as expert technical support in exchange for a commitment to openly share and communicate the outcomes of research, including the raw observations and data. With many ROV research cruises foreseen through at least 2018, there certainly will be lots to learn with SuBastian.

Data collected using SuBastian will be openly shared with the public and interested researchers. “This is just the start of SuBastian’s life,” said ROV Project Manager David Wotherspoon, “The team is incredibly focused and ready to put SuBastian to use. SuBastian will now be used by scientists to investigate the deep sea, acting as eyes, ears and hands miles beneath the ocean surface.”

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Robosys’ Voyager AI Autonomy Suite Integrated Onboard New USV

Robosys Automation’s Voyager AI Autonomy Suite has been integrated onboard Uncrewed Survey Solutions' new USS Accession USV, enhancing autonomous marine operations for survey and monitoring

Jul 10, 2025
Textron USV Demonstrates MUM-T Capability in FLEX25 Exercise

Textron Systems demonstrated its TSUNAMI™ USV during FLEX25 in El Salvador, supporting SOUTHCOM and regional partners in counter-narcotics operations

Jul 10, 2025
OceanAlpha’s L25 USV Showcases Successful Autonomous Marine Survey Capabilities

OceanAlpha’s L25 USV has demonstrated innovative autonomous survey operations during the vessel's first Malaysian public display at Port Klang, June 2025

Jul 10, 2025
Maintaining Airport Operations Amid Rising Drone Risks

Airports face growing drone threats, and D-Fend Solutions’ EnforceAir counter-drone system provides real-time detection and mitigation to protect safety and ensure operational continuity

Jul 10, 2025
Voyis Strengthens ROV Camera Platform with New Service Programs

Voyis has launched its Voyis Academy and Voyis Protect programs to sustain the Discovery Stereo Vision System's long-term reliability and subsea optical excellence

Jul 10, 2025
UK MOD Validates PDW C100 for Aerial Target Designation

Performance Drone Works (PDW) demonstrated the capabilities of its C100 quadcopter for the UK MOD, successfully designating targets with precision and completing extended-range missions during a live-fire event in Texas

Jul 09, 2025

Featured Content

New UAV to Combine Solar Hydrogen & Battery Power for Extended Flight

XSun and H3 Dynamics are developing the first UAV powered by solar, hydrogen, and batteries, aiming to deliver zero-emission, long-endurance unmanned flight

Jul 07, 2025
Enhancing Mangrove Restoration Through 3D Printed Drone Design

Explore how Inverto Earth, in collaboration with HP Additive, is using sustainable 3D printing and drone technology to drive large-scale mangrove restoration and protect vulnerable coastal ecosystems

Jul 03, 2025
Partnership Combines Drone Swarms & Situational Awareness to Boost Wildfire Response

Kongsberg Geospatial and FireSwarm Solutions have partnered to integrate autonomous drone swarms with real-time situational awareness for faster, smarter wildfire response

Jun 30, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.