ROV for exploring sea surface to be launched in Visakhapatnam soon

A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) consisting of several applications is planned to be commercially launched in Visakhapatnam in a year.

The vehicle is developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) with multiple civil and military applications. It would help in discovering mines and removing garbage in the deep sea. Deep surfaces and shallow surfaces can be scanned. The ROV can reach 6000 meters deep and transmit high resolutions photos and data. 500 meters in shallow waters can be covered.

The ROVs have been field tested in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a few years ago. The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC)’s Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre and Technology Innovation Support Centre based in Visakhapatnam marketed and facilitated the technology. NIOT and L&T Defence signed an agreement recently.

As a mine detector, the vehicle comes to a lot of help to the Indian Navy to detect mines planted by the enemies. It would help in exploring mineral wealth in the oceans.

NRDC Chairman and Managing Director, H. Purushotham, told The Hindu on Thursday, “The ROV will be licensed for 10 years. It will be non-exclusive with recurring royalty and a lumpsum technology transfer fee. L&T Defence would roll out the first vehicle in nine to 12 months. Each vehicle will cost Rs. 25 crores to Rs. 30 crores.”

The ROV had taken images of corals, useful for developing algorithms in mapping the coral reefs by using sensing techniques, especially satellite remote sensing.

Credits: The Hindu