ROV's FOR BEGINNERS

INTRODUCTION

The ROV ( Remotely Controlled Vehicle ) Has been used for the last 30 years all over the world by different organization to get access to underwater locations not easily accessible by Divers or by other means. Historically the ROV could be called a remotely controlled Camera and tooling platform.

Lately the ROV has also performed tasks that Divers can perform due to economical and safety reasons. The improvements in performance and reliability of the equipment has increased over the last few years 100 fold compared with in the past.

This section will try to in simple terms try to explain what components a standard ROV consist of and what everyday underwater tasks a standard ROV can perform.

The origins of the ROV a discussion

The Remotely Operated Vehicle has been in development since the early 1950 's, with the Rebikoff " Chien Plongeur " 1954 to the latest Quest Schilling ROV.

The ROV is described by the early engineers and users as a remotely controlled camera, which provide a stable platform for a Video, Still Camera and Lighting System. The Visual aids could be used for various inspection tasks. The main advantage being that the ROV was expendable, the loss of an ROV would not put any peoples life and limbs at risk.

The first to start to use the ROV and it's derivatives was the different Navies around the world. As the economies of scales applied eventually the Cost of this technology made it possible to apply this technology in commercial applications such as oil prospecting, oceanography and fisheries.

Today you can find ROV's used all over the world even off the back of peoples personal Sailing or Motor Boat. The prices are some times as low as a few thousand US dollars.

[General][Crew][Piloting][Basic Components][Frame][Buoyancy]

[Control Systems] [Propulsion Systems][Deployment][Tether Management Systems]

[Suppliers] [Operators]