The deep sea crawler VIATOR conducting test operations in the Baltic Sea. Photo: Uli Kunz (Submaris)

VIATOR with its basis station MANSIO conducting first test drives in a basin of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Bremen. Photo: Sascha Flögel

Image of the month: Mai 2017

VIATOR stirs up "dust"

The underwater vehicle VIATOR causes quite a stir at the instant when it reaches its workplace - the seafloor - as well as in the minds of scientists that have high expectations in its work performance in the deep sea.
The autonomous crawler has been developed within the so called ROBEX alliance of the Helmholtz association. It is supposed to conduct measurements in depths of up to 6000 meter.

So far, the function of the sun-yellow robot has successfully been tested in a basin of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Baltic Sea in depth of less than 20 meters. But real deep-sea missions are already planned. In August 2017 VIATOR will be onboard the German research vessel “Polarstern” for a scientific cruise to Svalbard. Off the coast of the Norwegian archipelago VIATOR shall demonstrate its deep sea suitability. But what are the particular requirements such an underwater vehicle has to fulfill?

First of all, it has to withstand the enormous pressure in the deep. In water depths of 6000 meter VIATOR has to bear a pressure of 600 bars. For this purpose, resistant titan and modern synthetic materials were used to construct the vehicle. The autonomously operating crawler is built in a modular way. Measuring instruments can be adjusted to changing scientific purposes. Probes that measure water temperature and oxygen for example, belong to the standard equipment; a camera and laser are used to map the ocean floor.

VIATOR is constructed for maintenance-free, long-term operations in the deep of up to one year. To fulfill this exceptional task, VIATOR brings his own basis station MANSIO. This docking station provides VIATOR with energy, collected data can be transmitted and new missions for measurements and travel routes received.

Further information:

www.robex-allianz.de Robex alliance

www.oceanblogs.org/oceannavigator/2017/01/18/viator-schone-gruse-vom-meeresboden/ Oceanblog-Eintrag zur Testfahrt von VIATOR in der Geltinger Bucht, Ostsee

VIATOR with its basis station MANSIO conducting first test drives in a basin of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Bremen. Photo: Sascha Flögel

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