New system to boost undersea probes

2010-02-25
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A team of engineers has devised an optical communication system which they say will help surface vessels guide and gather real-time data from undersea robotic probes without the need for cable connections.

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A team of engineers has devised an optical communication system which they say will help surface vessels guide and gather real-time data from undersea robotic probes without the need for cable connections.

Researches at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), who have likened their discovery to the cell phone and wireless internet access, said it would mean simpler operations and reduced costs.

Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) used for undersea exploration are normally tethered to a support vehicle using cables that carry power, data and video signals back and forth.

Communications between the two mostly rely on acoustic (sound-based) technologies because water, unlike air, does not permit electromagnetic radiation, apart from light, to pass through. But even light cannot penetrate beyond a certain depth or in muddy waters.

Researchers, led by WHOI senior engineer Norman Farr, have now devised a communication system that combines optical and acoustic technologies, and employs inexpensive, low-power transmitters and receivers.

It enables data transfer rates of 10 to 20 megabits per second over a range of 100 meters and only needs a standard UNOLS cable hanging down just under the sea surface.

Presenting their report at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon, the scientists said it will allow untethered ROVs, equipped with sensors, cameras and other devices to collect data to relay it back instantly to surface ships or laboratories.

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