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Submersible vehicles increase our
ability to investigate the deep oceans.
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Manned Submersibles
These submersibles like ALIVN carry people who
make direct observations of the deep seas. People can react
to surprising and new situations; they can change
experiments and devise new ones on the fly. Manned
submersibles cannot stay underwater long, however, and crew
safety is always an important consideration.
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Automated Underwater Vehicles
AUVs combine robotics, thrusters, sonar, and
sensors with artificial intelligence. They operate without
continuous control from people. While most are still
experimental, they hold great promise for deep sea
exploration because they can perform routine tasks under
water for months at a time.
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Remotely-Operated Vehicles
ROVs like JASON are controlled by people
exploring the deep from a safe distance, usually a mother
ship on the surface. ROVs often bristle with manipulator
arms, cameras, lights and sensors to "see" and "feel" for
their operators. ROVs can stay down longer than vehicles
carrying people and transmit data constantly.
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Science
Learning Network |
email:
sln@mos.org | © 1998
The
Museum of Science
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