The Dirt:
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a new version of the robot dubbed Odyssey IV that can hover like a helicopter, allowing it to take pictures and grab material samples. The small submarine was developed as part of the MIT Sea Grant College Program’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Laboratory. The further development of the robot is both a boon and a potential evil, depending on the perspective.

From a scientist’s perspective, the existence of a product that can stay under water for a period of time will greatly advance science by enabling researchers to study actual materials and evaluate photos of underwater life. This has already begun, with researchers testing the robot off the Gulf of Maine and trials in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. One such study used the robot to monitor a species infesting New England waters by tracking the species and transmitting data back to the researchers.

However, another use for the robot might be involvement in oil extraction. According to MIT news, the robot can go up to 6,000 meters down, can stay in the same place and can inspect offshore oil platforms. The robot can follow a pre-programmed destination route and can grab samples. If things proceed as planned, the robot will eventually have a mechanical arm that would enable the robot to perform tasks such as twisting a valve. Next on the list once the hovering capability is nailed down is a method to recharging the robot. MIT Sea Program Director Chryssostomos Chryssostomidis

is aiming for a further improved submarine that would be able to stay under water for an entire year, collecting data that would be transmitted back to the scientists.

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