Robots exploring deep bodies of water can only go so far before needing to recharge and upload data. Purdue University engineers have designed a mobile docking station system that would help them go farther.

We know far less about the Earth’s oceans than we do about the surface of the moon or Mars. The sea floor is carved with expansive canyons, towering seamounts, deep trenches, and sheer cliffs, most of which are considered too dangerous or inaccessible for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to navigate. But what if the reward…

By Frank Tobe. Publisher, The Robot Report Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Sentry ROV We’ve read about their use in last year’s Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill and their underwater repair work, traipsing the corridors and collecting rubble at Fukushima nuclear power plants, the exploits of James Cameron and his amazing underwater photos and movie…