#robotarms

Work, work, work, work, work ⁠

In the deep sea, our remotely operated vehicle (ROV) pilots have to use large robotic manipulator arms to recover delicate organisms like these ⁣⁠carnivorous sponges, Cladorhiza evae.⁠⁣⁠ 

Sitting in the ROV control room (some 2,400 meters or 7,870 feet above the vehicle), there are two ROV pilots, one flying the ROV and the copilot in charge of managing the tether and operating the vehicle’s manipulator arms. The copilot uses devices called masters to precisely control the movements of the arm. These masters are small representations of the manipulator arm on the ROV, and proportionally control each of the corresponding joints. The manipulator arms on both MBARI ROVs have collected all sorts of unique deep-sea organisms and objects—from glass sponges, clams, benthic ctenophores, and other organisms to volcanic ash, pillow lava, and different sediment samples—for our scientists to study. ⁣⁠⁣⁠

These arms are incredibly powerful tools for learning more about the habitats and organisms that make up the deep sea!⁣