Underwater Robots

The US Navy funded most of the early Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology development in the 1960s. The next step in advancing the technology was performed by commercial firms that saw the future in ROV support of offshore oil operations. Building on this technology base, the offshore oil and gas industry created the work class ROV to assist in the development of offshore oil fields, and in particular, deep water drilling support. Today, as oil and gas exploration migrates into deeper and deeper waters, ROVs have become an essential part of the operations.