In this wide world of ours, there are very few frontiers that humanity has failed to explore. A majority of the surface world has been plotted out and settled, however, one of the last few frontiers that are left to be explored is the deep sea. Area-wise, the Earth is predominantly covered with bodies of water, and there are thousands of miles of ocean that have yet to be explored.
In the past few decades though, there have been great strides in deep-sea exploration, thanks to specialized robots. These robots were able to go where men fear to tread and have explored the deepest parts of the ocean floor. How did robotics help in the advance of deep-sea exploration? Here are 5 ways robotics were able to help advance deep-sea exploration.
1. They Allow Researchers To Reach Deeper Depths
One of the greatest changes in deep-sea exploration is the fact that researchers could now reach deeper depths. Before robots were used for deep-sea exploration, researchers were limited to just how deep they themselves could go. However, with the introduction of robots to deep-sea exploration, researchers could now go further down into the ocean floor.
2. Robots Enabled Researchers To Take Larger Amounts Of Samples
Back in the day, marine researchers were limited in the number of samples they could take. They could only take as much as they could carry. This limited their ability to study marine life. However, with the inclusion of robots into deep-sea exploration, marine researchers were able to carry a huge amount of samples. Some great examples of these innovations were the robot arms that were installed on deep-sea submarines.
Robot arms are a game-changer because they allow researchers the ability to actually handle samples, and place them into a specialized compartment on the submarine. This means the researcher could stay underwater longer, and gather more samples in the long run. Aside from the robot arms being used to gather specimens, they could also be used to lower the submarines down into the water.
Robot arm companies such as EVS have a wide variety of robot arms that are perfect for sea exploration submarines because a majority of their robot arms are waterproof, and could carry very heavy weights without breaking down. If you are interested in learning more about EVS robot arms, click here for more information.
3. Robots Made Deep-sea Exploration Safer
Aside from giving marine researchers the ability to reach lower depths, robotics technology also made operations a lot safer. Back in the day, deep-sea researchers had to take greater risks, because they had to put on wetsuits, oxygen tanks, and other scuba gear and go down into the ocean floor themselves. This was potentially dangerous because there was no way of knowing how deep the ocean floor was, so it was difficult that gauge whether the oxygen will last throughout the whole descent. There is also the ever-present danger that the researcher will get crushed by the air pressure the deeper he or she goes down into the ocean depth.
With the rise of marine exploration robots, researchers no longer need to put themselves in constant danger. They could now go as deep as they want, without the danger of suffocating or getting crushed by the air pressure.
4. They Helped Advance Deep-sea Mining Operations
Aside from deep sea exploration, robots have also helped advance deep sea mining operations through the years. It is a well-known fact that there are minerals and oil reserves at the bottom of the ocean. The only problem is that it is very difficult to mine these mineral and oil reserves because the ocean floor is clearly too deep. However, in the past few decades, specialized robots are now capable of going down into the ocean floor, and mining these resources.
These deep-sea mining robots are huge and powerful because they not only need to go thousands of miles underwater, they also need to be robust enough to excavate through the very hard surface at the bottom of the ocean. While it might seem like a lot of work to design and manufacture these powerful deep-sea mining robots, various mining companies are investing millions of dollars into manufacturing these robots, because the ocean floor has a vast store of natural resources just waiting to be excavated.
5. Robots Allow Researchers to Find New Types of Marine Life
Robots are a great help to marine researchers when it comes to studying marine life. Before, marine researchers had to study marine life via deep-sea diving. While this is effective for more shallow waters, it gets more difficult when the study takes place in deeper waters. There are areas in the oceans called trenches.
These areas are depressions in the seafloor, and they are considered the deepest parts of the ocean. They are usually thousands of feet deep, and a large part of the surface has never been touched by sunlight before. These trenches are a treasure trove of marine flora and fauna for most marine researchers because they are pretty much untouched. The coral reefs there stretch for thousands of miles, and there are types of fishes there, that is extremely rare. Although these trenches were ripe for study, they were almost impossible to get to. Luckily, with the creation of deep-sea robots, marine researchers could just send unmanned pods into these ocean depths and study the flora and fauna in more detail.
Conclusion
In the past few years, there have been great strides in deep-sea exploration. This is all due to new innovations in robot technology, and their ability to explore the deepest ocean depths. By knowing these innovations, you’ll see how robots were able to expand our knowledge of the ocean depths.