By Cliff Medling
In general, divers can safely reach depths of 30 to 40 meters, but not deeper; however, with additional training (and a new wetsuit) they can descend deeper.
Some divers can reach great depths with scuba, but this can be dangerous. With a minimum of training, however, it is possible to guide an underwater robot (ROV – Remotely Operated [underwater] Vehicle – Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) to depths that no human can reach, and thus explore the ocean floor to search for sunken treasure, sunken shipwrecks or signs of the existence of sirens. If you want to explore the ocean using an ROV, you might need to talk to the guys at SeaBotix, who, so to speak, invented the small ROV.
I had the opportunity to visit the SeaBotix headquarters in San Diego. There I met Jesse Rodocker, Senior Vice President at SeaBotix, who started the company with his father. The father / son duo, responsible for the development of ROVs, transformed SeaBotix from a two-employee company in the late 1990s to more than 65 people today.
Jesse doesn’t just oversee the operation of the SeaBotix business; Since he is also an ROV operator, he has probably spent more time remotely piloting an ROV than anyone else. He has participated in many missions: ranging from search and rescue to hidden treasure. What’s interesting is that Jesse is a SOLIDWORKS user, but he’s not an engineer by training. Because he has the best understanding of what is required for the design of a submarine ROV, he creates the initial concepts in SOLIDWORKS, then gives the design to Tony, engineer at SeaBotix, who by taking the initial concepts creates the final design ready for production.
SeaBotix ROVs are used for different deep water missions. A common application is to inspect for damage to ships; ROVs can even be fitted with wheels and roll off the sides of ships instead of swimming freely. Most importantly, SeaBotix ROVs are very easy to use; and I know it from experience. During my visit, Jesse gave me the opportunity to remote control one in a tank – they wouldn’t let an earthling like me take one and try it out on the high seas 🙂.
Cliff Medling
