There are many different types of technology that are used to explore shipwrecks. One of these types is submersibles, submersibles can take people to the deepest parts of the ocean floor and autonomous machines/vehicles can see things never before seen. According to the article Incredible Technology: How to Explore the Deep Blue Sea, “One of the world's first deep-sea human submersibles, Alvin, was built in 1964.” Alvin helped find a lost hydrogen bomb and explored the Titanic and in total Alvin has made over 4,400 dives. This submarine is owned by the US Navy and is operated by the WHOI which stands for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Alvin can travel 14,800ft below the surface and can carry three people.
ROV'sAnother type of technology are Remotely operated vehicles (ROV’S). One ROV that belongs to WHOI is called Jason. Jason is a two part system, According to the article Incredible Technology: How to Explore the Deep Blue Sea, “Pilots send commands and power to a vehicle called Medea, which relays them to Jason. Jason sends back data and live video to the ship. The ROV contains sonar equipment, video cameras and still cameras. Jason has manipulator arms for collecting samples of rock, sediment or ocean life to return to the surface.”
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AUV's
One other type of technology that is used are AUV’s, Autonomous underwater vehicles. AUV’s don’t need to be controlled by humans, they can explore the ocean floors for hours at a time. According to the article Incredible Technology: How to Explore the Deep Blue Sea, “WHOI's AUV, Sentry, can survey the mid-ocean or explore the seafloor, descending as far as 19,700 feet (6,000 m). The vehicle can generate detailed maps of the seafloor using sonar, and take photographs of mid-ocean ridges, deep-sea vents and cold seeps (regions where methane and sulfide-rich fluids leak from the seafloor).” Also, AUV’s can be used to calculate specific data like ocean temperature and salinity. The technology that is used to explore shipwrecks has changed, engineers are developing hybrid robots. One that has been created is called Nereus, this robot belongs to the WHOI What makes this robot special is that it can be used as an AUV or an ROV. The first thing Nereus did was explore the Challenger Deep, this is a trench in the ocean that is deeper underwater than Mount Everest is high.
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Dimitri Rebikoff
Dimitri Rebikoff was a world renowned inventor, was born on March 23, 1921 in Paris, France and died on August 4, 1997. He began working with cameras when he was just 11 years old and when he was older he had his own camera repair business. According to the article Dimitri Rebikoff, 76, Camera Inventor, ''The holder of more than 60 patents, Mr. Rebikoff worked for several years with famous aquatic explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Among Mr. Rebikoff's most lauded discoveries were a remote-controlled camera that allowed for underwater exploration and a portable electronic strobe light.'' He soon got patents for his inventions and was recruited by a diving club to build a stronger version of his invention. His first model exploded but his second did not and he sold over 10,000 in France. According to the article Dimitri Rebikoff, 76, Camera Inventor, ''For two years, he worked for Cousteau to design and manufacture custom equipment for his underwater expeditions. He worked on Cousteau's Oscar-winning movie, A World Without Sun. Cousteau's early TV shows wouldn't have been possible without Mr. Rebikoff's cameras.'' To enable deep water exploration Rebikoff designed a remote controlled device called Pegasus. Pegasus looked like a torpedo with handles and cameras. According to the article Dimitri Rebikoff, 76, Camera Inventor, ''It was quickly taken up by scientists, who sent it under glaciers to explore fossil life, and by oil drillers, who sent it to the ocean floor. He designed the Pegasus as a towing device, with the diver mounted on top of the machine.'' The original model of this device is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
“These submersibles allow us to travel deeper and with a greater degree of freedom than ever before, so that we can observe, describe and ultimately explain the phenomena of life in the deep ocean realm.” (NOAA 2015)
How Has This Technology Changed and How Has it Impacted Deep Water Exploration?
The technology that is used to explore deep parts of the ocean have grown and changed over time. ''Systematic ocean exploration in the United States began in 1807 when Thomas Jefferson authorized the Survey of the Coast, NOAA's earliest predecessor. Since then, NOAA and its ancestors have played a critical role in the evolution of ocean exploration in the United States and the world.'' (NOAA 2014) By the early 1920s the first era of ocean exploration was over. Soon the age of electronics began in 1923 and ended in 1945. According to the article Technology, ''Today’s technologies allow us to explore the ocean in increasingly systematic, scientific, and noninvasive ways. With continuing scientific and technological advances, our ability to observe the ocean environment and its resident creatures is beginning to catch up with our imaginations, expanding our understanding and appreciation of this still largely unexplored realm.'' Submersibles have also helped to discover new species. According to the article Platforms: Submersibles, ''Over the last few decades, engineers have developed submersible technologies capable of meeting the many challenges that the deep sea imposes upon explorers. Using advanced submersible technologies, remarkable new deep-water ecosystems have been discovered.''