REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES

Remotely Operated Vehicles: Training and Future Requirements

Introduction

ROVs are unoccupied, tethered submersibles with an umbilical cable that runs from the pilot (either onboard a mother ship, on land, or even on an HOV) to the ROV (Langdon 2009). In the United States, the Navy first developed this technology. Major commercial use of ROVs began with the development of the North Sea offshore oil and gas industry in the mid-1970s. An ROV pilot will often operate a vehicle remotely with his/her eyes directly viewing the vehicle while guiding the vehicle on the surface to the inspection target. This navigation of the vehicle through line of sight (as with the remote control airplane) is termed Remote Control (RC) mode.

Once the inspection target is observed through the vehicle's camera or sensors, the transition is made from RC operational mode to tele-operation mode (Bessa et al 2008). This transition is important because it changes navigation and operation of the vehicle from the operator's point of view to the vehicle's point of view. Successful management of the transition between these modes of operation during field tasks will certainly assist in obtaining a positive mission completion. The umbilical cable carries power, pilot control input, and feedback from sensors and video cameras. Because a wireless signal quickly fades, reflects, and is otherwise attenuated under water, the only reliable means of accurately controlling a remote underwater vehicle is through an umbilical cable. While increased bandwidth in acoustic communications and improved task-level control have made remote control of untethered remote vehicles a possibility in the future, this technology will likely not include video feed, and thus not provide high-level feedback, reducing the applications for wireless control (Fletcher et al 2008). Typically, an ROV will have cameras, video transmitted live to the pilot to aid in navigation, high-intensity lights, thrusters for control, manipulators, and a basket or platform for mounting equipment. This paper examines how ROVs have developed and integrated into many oceanic applications. The research provides a brief developmental history of ROVs and then basing on the evidence suggest the future requirements of ROVs.

Discussion and Analysis

ROVs are increasingly being used to support diving operations in which role they have potential to enhance the safety of the diver, for example, by providing emergency life support or by relaying information to the surface conning danger to the diver. In this role, there is also potential hazard unless the skill of the ROB pilot is assured, perhaps by using an ROV simulator to test operator skills against set standards. Also, in considering costs and benefits, it is necessary to take account not only of vehicles but of the cost of mission failure in terms of, say lost production or even loss of production facilities through failure of essential maintenance operations or inadequate inspections (Bessa et al 2008). On a seemingly lesser scale, elongated mission times, for example through poor navigation, positioning or maneuvering performance, can have particularly serious effects for battery-operated vehicles, disrupting schedules and possibly leading finally ...