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Putting Machines in Harm’s Way ROVs are replacing divers in hazardous situations Each year, divers are killed doing routine jobs, like ship inspections. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are helping reduce risk and save lives. Underwater Robotics There are two primary types of underwater vehicles — autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). AUVs are more common and have been available for a number of years. The torpedo-shaped vehicles run, as their name suggests, by themselves. “You would use an AUV to do something like survey a harbor,” says Sean Newsome, spokesperson for SeaBotix. “It will go back and forth, creating a sonar image of the bottom. When you get the AUV back, you can download the data and see a three-dimensional image generated of the bottom.” But say you saw something with your AUV that wasn’t there last week? Maybe something attached to the side of a bridge. This is when an ROV comes in handy. The tethered vehicle, with thrusters that allow it to fly and maneuver like a helicopter, make it easy for an operator topside to examine the anomaly in real time. Underwater Options ROVs (at least SeaBotix’s) are basically sensor platforms. They come with standard sensors — camera, lighting, depth, temperature, etc. But depending on how the ROV will be used, options like navigation or imaging sonar, water quality sensors, radiation detectors, and manipulators (so you can grasp and retrieve objects) can be added. “An ROV can lift about 100 pounds off the bottom,” says Newsome. “For example, if someone dropped a boat motor, you could go down, grab it with the ROV, and then use the umbilical to lift everything to the surface.” And new advancements, like SeaBotix’s crawler attachment, offer even more options. “If the operator wants to see something of interest, he can just stop the vehicle, and it will stay attached to the side of the ship,” explains Newsome. Although this could be done with a magnet, it would be limited to only metal structures. “This system is popular because they can be attached to a concrete dam or a wooden temporary structure in a construction zone,” he says. Security and Infrastructure ROV business is booming, in part due to increased security measures and crumbling infrastructure. The military just recently purchased 27 SeaBotix with an option to buy 82 more through 2011. The Army Corp of Engineers and the Customs and Border Protection are also big clients these days. “ROVs are used for obvious ships husbandry, but they are also being used to look for possible contraband attached to ships — either drugs or explosive devices,” says Newsome. He adds, “The biggest reason, though, for these vehicles is to prevent divers from being in hazardous environments. ROVs, unlike divers, don’t have a decompression time. They can stay down as long as there’s power to them. They aren’t limited by depth. And they don’t have a spouse or an attorney.” Don’t Skip the Training Companies will sometimes purchase the ROVs and skip the training, but it’s not recommended. “We train for three days. We have customers take two days of classroom, and service and maintenance. Part of this includes physically stripping down their vehicle and putting it back together. On the third day, we’ll take them out in the harbor. They fly it, and we teach them how to use any sensors they’ve selected.” Newsome says he’s seen companies, who haven’t taken the training, experience a problem with the vehicle. Not knowing it’s a minor problem or how to fix it, they’ve just let the vehicle sit unused. “Imagine if you bought a $40,000 car, and one day it wouldn’t start, so you left it in the garage for the next two years. Then it turns out it needed a spark plug,” says Newsome. “That’s the kind of issues we deal with, because these ROVs are operating in the harshest environment known to man.”	In This Issue News, Trends & Analysis New Items Inventory Investment and the Implications on GDP Growth Supply Chain Responding to Changes in the Supply Chain Compliance Corner: How to Utilize Technology to Manage Global Trade Compliance Overseas Opportunities for Exporters Create a Strategy before Cutting Costs Features Gateway at a Glance � Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway 2009 Ro-Ro Trend Supply Chain product review Automotive Supply Chain Software Ports & infrastructure Five Major Ports, Five Different Ways to Handle the Recession Funding a National Freight Policy Commentary Will the Stimulus Package Help the Trade Conditions? Casualties Who, What, Where, When Final Say
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Putting Machines in Harm’s Way