Marine robot to explore ocean's depths
The development is part of a five-year study into marine life
Environmental group Nature Conservancy is using a new underwater robot to investigate areas off the Californian coast that are beyond the reach of divers.
The remotely-operated vehicle "flies" just above the sea floor and will be used to gather high-resolution videos and photographs of marine life and habitats as part of a five-year study.
This information will be used by marine experts to track changes in the creatures' environment and evaluate how trawl fishing affects their habitats.
"We really know very little about these deep water habitats and species off California," Nature Conservancy's lead scientist Mary Gleason told KPBS. "And so the great opportunity we have here is really to use technology to help sort of fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge."
She added that using such technology is the only way to achieve better management and conservation of marine resources.
The robot is roughly the size of a refrigerator and is tethered to a ship, which it transmits information to via a long cable.
It is equipped with a number of features, including forward, downward and rear-facing still and video cameras; sonar; a manoeuvrable arm and the ability to descend to 3,000 ft.
As yet it is unnamed, however, an online competition is being run to determine the most suitable moniker.
Nominations include Nemo, Beagle and Rock Lobster.
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