July, 2007
Hydroid’s REMUS 100 AUVs Helping to Measure Environmental Changes
(July, 2007 – Pocasset, MA) Hydroid, LLC, a leading manufacturer of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), announced today that it has won an additional contract from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The premier marine research organization will be using Hydroid’s REMUS (Remote Environmental Measuring Units) 100 vehicle to support its research of fine-scale coastal processes, tracking the influence of river-generated plumes on the coastal margin and providing data sets for initializing coastal circulation models. This rapid environmental assessment tool will allow Scripps to develop methods for assessing the local oceanographic impacts of man-induced and climate-driven changes and enable the tracking of man-made and natural coastal discharges.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for marine science research, graduate training and public service in the world. Research at Scripps encompasses physical, chemical, biological, geological and geophysical studies of the oceans and Earth. Ongoing investigations include the topography and composition of the ocean bottom, waves and currents, and the flow and interchange of matter between seawater and the ocean bottom or the atmosphere.
“We selected the REMUS 100 AUV, as its maturity, capability, size and cost of use and maintenance make it a perfect fit for our research needs,” said Eric Terrill, director of the Coastal Observing Research and Development Center at Scripps. “Options such as the sidescan sonar and underwater video camera system will allow us to determine how we can fuse data from multiple sensors in a manner that rapidly characterizes the bathymetry, bottom-type and objects on the seafloor. In addition, the Iridium capabilities will allow us to remotely control the vehicle.”
“We’re excited that the REMUS’s proven reliability and capabilities have again made it the AUV of choice for Scripps,” said Christopher von Alt, president and one of the co-founders of Hydroid. “We are thrilled to be supporting Scripps for this research initiative and look forward to working with the organization on many future endeavors.”
Funded by an award from the Office of Naval Research DURIP (Defense University Research Instrumentation Program), initial efforts with the REMUS 100 will focus on developing a local AUV testbed in the San Diego region, extending from the U.S. Border to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside. New technologies will be tested using the Scripps research Pier and the surrounding La Jolla cove. The development of this testbed will allow Scripps to rapidly assess the new vehicle’s capabilities and sensors, and determine how to conduct efficient operations on a routine basis.
Hydroid's REMUS AUVs can be fitted with a number of different types of sensors and cameras and have been used to aid in hydrographic surveys, harbor security operations, debris field mapping and scientific sampling and mapping. Hydroid’s AUVs are currently being used by many research facilities and Navies around the world.
More about Scripps’ Coastal Observing R&D Center (CORDC) can be found at www.cordc.ucsd.edu.
About Hydroid, LLC
Hydroid LLC holds the exclusive license from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the manufacture and further development of the REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology.
For further information contact Kevin McCarthy, Vice President of Marketing at Hydroid at Tel 508-563-6565, e-mail [email protected].
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