Let's hope they stay down there

[wetb4igetinthewater]

MBARI’s Advanced Underwater Robots Discover Deep-Sea Squid that Broods Giant Eggs

The deep sea is the largest living space on Earth, but many of the animals and habitats far beneath the ocean’s surface remain shrouded in mystery. MBARI’s...

ecomagazine.com

 

[Sure Squintsalot]

I'm waiting for the day they retrieve an autonomous, AI driven ROV that spends a month below 1,000 feet, and surfaces for it's data dump.

No doubt there are still incredible finds to be made in the deep sea. Hopefully, ocean floor mining won't have ruined everything before we make these discoveries.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm waiting for the day they retrieve an autonomous, AI driven ROV that spends a month below 1,000 feet, and surfaces for it's data dump.

No doubt there are still incredible finds to be made in the deep sea. Hopefully, ocean floor mining won't have ruined everything before we make these discoveries.

That's some serious battery life to do that. I was at Seawork in Southampton a week ago. The National Oceanographic Centre had an unstaffed booth and had their AUV Boaty McBoatface there (as the R/V was named the Sir David Attenborough). I did speak to 3 members, and give them the card for my NGO to see if we could loan them my laser scanner to do some underwater laser surveying with it.

The questions are (a) what would they want to use the laser scanner for? (b) would they be able to get funding? (as I'd only provide the hardware) and (c) if they have an answer to (a) and answer yes to (b), when would this expedition take place?

 

[Sure Squintsalot]

That's some serious battery life to do that. I was at Seawork in Southampton a week ago. The National Oceanographic Centre had an unstaffed booth and had their AUV Boaty McBoatface there (as the R/V was named the Sir David Attenborough). I did speak to 3 members, and give them the card for my NGO to see if we could loan them my laser scanner to do some underwater laser surveying with it.

The questions are (a) what would they want to use the laser scanner for? (b) would they be able to get funding? (as I'd only provide the hardware) and (c) if they have an answer to (a) and answer yes to (b), when would this expedition take place?

I don't see batteries being a limiting factor; just load more of 'em! Besides, it can just be parked at a certain depth until a directional radar sees "something" worth investigating.

Upon a little bit of thinking about this, maybe I'm not surprised that they wouldn't quite know what to do with an underwater laser scanner. Would it have better range than simple photography? Modern photogrametry can build some pretty amazing 3D models off of photo-revolves.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I don't see batteries being a limiting factor; just load more of 'em! Besides, it can just be parked at a certain depth until a directional radar sees "something" worth investigating.

Batteries are heavy. Using side scanning sonar is a better way of finding items of interest. That's one thing I'm going to invest in for searching for ancient wrecks in the Aegean.

Upon a little bit of thinking about this, maybe I'm not surprised that they wouldn't quite know what to do with an underwater laser scanner. Would it have better range than simple photography? Modern photogrametry can build some pretty amazing 3D models off of photo-revolves.

Laser scanners are another tool in the toolbox. Photogammetry doesn't come close when it comes to resolution and accuracy (like less that 0.1 mm). Photogammetry models fall apart up close, but look nice at a distance.

The UK has plenty of shipwrecks that are great candidates for laser surveys. I can't remember the name of the ship, but the one where the UK government is working with MAST and others for monitoring with a satellite 24/7 would be a prime candidate. I'd hope to get Sonardyne on board, as their test facility is nearby in Plymouth.

 

[Sure Squintsalot]

Ever consider looking for submerged archaeological sites? Isn't the Pacific NW chock full of potential sites? Talk about making your mark!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Ever consider looking for submerged archaeological sites? Isn't the Pacific NW chock full of potential sites? Talk about making your mark!

Well I do have a Washington state based 501c3 as well as an NGO in Greece. If an academic institution needed this kind of support, I would happily loan my laser scanner. However, I think there's more activity in the Great Lakes. The viz in the Puget Sound and bottom of Lake Washington have horrible visibility. If you can't see it, you can't laser scan it. Now I'm part owner of Newton Labs, the manufacturer of my laser scanner. The best we could do is upgrade the laser for more power. But if the viz is under 1 foot, forget about scanning it.

The Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, the Greek government underwater archaeology department, probably has over 10K sites spanning from 3000 BC to WWII in its archives.

That doesn't include the unreported shipwrecks that spongedivers have shared with me and who knows how many more unreported and undiscovered wrecks there are (pretty much everything below 100 meters is generally unknown).

I also plan on moving to Greece. I'm in the process of buying land on Crete which the regional representative of the EUA in Crete is happy about as part of my early retirement is supporting government underwater archaeology projects.