Underwater robots used for deep-sea mining
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are now widely being used in the offshore oil and gas sectors as well as new developments in their uses for deep-sea mining. Progressing rapidly is the technology being utilized by these systems. We are seeing an emergence from uses in oceanographic research to defense and and offshore energy sectors (Bogue, 2015).
Unmanned maritime vehicles have begun to play an important role in the off-shore oil and gas industry, defense sector, search and rescue, underwater archaeology and environmental monitoring. Many new uses of both ROVs and AUVs have been developed mainly driven by their improved capabilities due to various technological advances over the years (Bogue, 2015).
The use of ROVs in underwater mining has increased due to research that shows that there is almost one thousand times more rare earth minerals on the sea floor that in recoverable on-shore reserves. Three new unique mining vehicles have been developed to retrieve these deposits. At depths of up to twenty five hundred meters, these vehicles will provide a production cutter, bulk cutter and a collecting machine (Bogue, 2015).
In my opinion, these vehicles will serve as useful tools in the mining of our sea floors. Their ability to recover rare-earth minerals essential in the manufacturing of electronic devices, vehicles, lasers and weapons will be extremely useful in that the impact to our on-shore reserves will be greatly reduced.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), because they operate autonomously and use their own power source, are faster than ROVs. This is not however why they are being widely used, it is the quality of the data they gather that is truly driving their use (Bogue, 2015).
New innovations have allowed the AUV to become more technologically viable. Technology such as improved battery life, forward looking sonar and collision avoidance have all contributed to the now commercially available ROVs. There has also been improvements in sensors such as the Micro-electromechanical System (MEMS) which has given us a single package device with three-axis autopilots that simplify navigation (Bogue, 2015).
The AUV market has been responsible for a 67 percent growth in oil production over the past year (2014-2015). They have also been used in disaster response as well as probing the sea-floor searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. AUVs have proven the capability of locating planes on the sea-floor when they located the Air France flight lost of the cost of Brazil in 2009 (Bogue, 2015).
The past fifty years has seen huge advances in underwater robotic technologies. These technologies have shown invaluable to the off-shore mining and oil industries. The emerging technologies from these advances will also prove valuable to the military, search and rescue, as well as oceanographic research. Combined with new technological advances, ROVs and AUVs will undoubtedly improve our lives in the future (Rogue, 2015).
The continued use of AUVs in off-shore mining is as well essential to our way of life in my opinion. The amounts of untapped resources are enormous and we can't let them go to waste. An obvious challenge for off-shore mining will be the ecological impacts on marine life. We must ensure that as we develop these new technologies, we ensure that the impacts on marine life are minimal.
References:
Bogue, R. (2015). Underwater robots: A review of technologies and applications. Industrial Robot: An International Journal, 42(3), 186-191. doi:10.1108/IR-01-2015-0010
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are now widely being used in the offshore oil and gas sectors as well as new developments in their uses for deep-sea mining. Progressing rapidly is the technology being utilized by these systems. We are seeing an emergence from uses in oceanographic research to defense and and offshore energy sectors (Bogue, 2015).
Unmanned maritime vehicles have begun to play an important role in the off-shore oil and gas industry, defense sector, search and rescue, underwater archaeology and environmental monitoring. Many new uses of both ROVs and AUVs have been developed mainly driven by their improved capabilities due to various technological advances over the years (Bogue, 2015).
The use of ROVs in underwater mining has increased due to research that shows that there is almost one thousand times more rare earth minerals on the sea floor that in recoverable on-shore reserves. Three new unique mining vehicles have been developed to retrieve these deposits. At depths of up to twenty five hundred meters, these vehicles will provide a production cutter, bulk cutter and a collecting machine (Bogue, 2015).
In my opinion, these vehicles will serve as useful tools in the mining of our sea floors. Their ability to recover rare-earth minerals essential in the manufacturing of electronic devices, vehicles, lasers and weapons will be extremely useful in that the impact to our on-shore reserves will be greatly reduced.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), because they operate autonomously and use their own power source, are faster than ROVs. This is not however why they are being widely used, it is the quality of the data they gather that is truly driving their use (Bogue, 2015).
New innovations have allowed the AUV to become more technologically viable. Technology such as improved battery life, forward looking sonar and collision avoidance have all contributed to the now commercially available ROVs. There has also been improvements in sensors such as the Micro-electromechanical System (MEMS) which has given us a single package device with three-axis autopilots that simplify navigation (Bogue, 2015).
The AUV market has been responsible for a 67 percent growth in oil production over the past year (2014-2015). They have also been used in disaster response as well as probing the sea-floor searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. AUVs have proven the capability of locating planes on the sea-floor when they located the Air France flight lost of the cost of Brazil in 2009 (Bogue, 2015).
The past fifty years has seen huge advances in underwater robotic technologies. These technologies have shown invaluable to the off-shore mining and oil industries. The emerging technologies from these advances will also prove valuable to the military, search and rescue, as well as oceanographic research. Combined with new technological advances, ROVs and AUVs will undoubtedly improve our lives in the future (Rogue, 2015).
The continued use of AUVs in off-shore mining is as well essential to our way of life in my opinion. The amounts of untapped resources are enormous and we can't let them go to waste. An obvious challenge for off-shore mining will be the ecological impacts on marine life. We must ensure that as we develop these new technologies, we ensure that the impacts on marine life are minimal.
References:
Bogue, R. (2015). Underwater robots: A review of technologies and applications. Industrial Robot: An International Journal, 42(3), 186-191. doi:10.1108/IR-01-2015-0010
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