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ROVs and AUVs

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Submarine Geomorphology

Part of the book series: Springer Geology ((SPRINGERGEOL))

Abstract

The most significant breakthroughs in science are often made as a result of technological developments and innovation. A new capacity to gather more data, measure more precisely or make entirely new observations generally leads to new insights and fundamental understanding. The future of ocean research and exploration therefore lies in robotics: marine robotic systems can be deployed at depths and in environments that are out of direct reach for humans, they can work around the clock, and they can be autonomous, freeing up time and money for other activities. To advance the field of submarine geomorphology, the two types of robots that currently make the biggest difference are Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Other autonomous or robotic systems are available for marine research (e.g. gliders, autonomous surface vehicles, benthic crawlers etc.), but their application for geomorphological studies is less extensive. This chapter gives an overview of the main characteristics of ROVs and AUVs, their advantages and disadvantages, and their main applications for geomorphological research. In comparison to the other geomorphological methods discussed in this book, however, it has to be made clear that ROVs and AUVs are not so much methods per se, instead they are platforms from which existing and new approaches can be applied.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all captains, crews and scientific teams that have assisted with the collection of the different datasets discussed and presented. K. Robert and V. Huvenne are supported by the ERC Starting Grant CODEMAP (Grant no 258482), while the whole author team receives support from the NERC MAREMAP programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton, UK

    Veerle A.I. Huvenne, Katleen Robert, Leigh Marsh, Claudio Lo Iacono, Tim Le Bas & Russell B. Wynn

  2. Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Leigh Marsh

Authors
  1. Veerle A.I. Huvenne
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  2. Katleen Robert
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  3. Leigh Marsh
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  4. Claudio Lo Iacono
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  5. Tim Le Bas
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  6. Russell B. Wynn
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Correspondence to Veerle A.I. Huvenne .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Geology & Seafloor Surveying Group, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Aaron Micallef

  2. Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

    Sebastian Krastel

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    Alessandra Savini

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Huvenne, V.A., Robert, K., Marsh, L., Lo Iacono, C., Le Bas, T., Wynn, R.B. (2018). ROVs and AUVs. In: Micallef, A., Krastel, S., Savini, A. (eds) Submarine Geomorphology. Springer Geology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57852-1_7

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