2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

With steady advances in digital technology during the last 50 years, robotics has become an ever-more promising field of research. Control systems and artificial intelligence are extremely significant parts of robotic technology. The economic benefits of robotics in manufacturing sectors are growing daily. Robotics can also play important roles in activities that are dangerous or expensive with present technology. For instance, robotic technology is often an excellent choice for conducting research in the oceans and in outerspace. In the near future, researchers will be able to deploy numerous networked robotic ocean observatories, expanding the quantity and quality of data available to scientists and the public worldwide

3. University of Limerick, Ireland Mobile and Marine Robotics Research Centre

The University of Limerick has an established reputation for being Ireland's leading university in industry-led research.  This has resulted in significant research commercialization activities and collaboration between the University's leading researchers and industry.

4. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the largest non-profit oceanographic institution in the world, is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society.

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)

Dana Yoerger; Associate Scientist; Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering --

5. Ocean Systems Division of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego (SSC San Diego) and its predecessor organizations (NRaD, NOSC, NUC, etc.) have been involved in various aspects of robotics since the early 1960's. The mission of the Oceans Systems Division (OS Division) is to create, validate, and deliver deep undersea and littoral capabilities that substantially improve the nation's ability to perform maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance

6. Johns Hopkins University

Whiting School of Engineering: Department of Mechanical Engineering

Underwater Robots for Deep Ocean Exploration

According to Professor Louis L. Whitcomb of Johns Hopkins University, “Most of the world’s sea floor has never been observed by human eyes (and) the surface of the moon has been mapped and photographed more thoroughly than the submerged portions of the Earth’s surface.” Given the limit of man’s ability to withstand the extreme “hydrostatic pressure” at depths beyond 4,500 meters, “researchers around the world have developed underwater robotic vehicles that enable scientists to explore, by remote control, (the) deepest and most inaccessible parts of the ocean.” Professor Whitcomb and his students have been active participants in the development of ROVs for more than a decade, including the development of the university’s own ROV.

For an in depth look at the market for deepwater robotics technology, see Mr. Whitcomb's outstanding report Underwater Robotics: Out of the Research Laboratory and Into the Field.

7. University of Bremen, Germany -- Marum Center for Marine Environmental Sciences

Important Technologies in Marine Research -- ROVs

The Marum Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at Bremen University “aims at unraveling the role of the oceans in the Earth’s system by employing state-of-the-art methods. It examines the significance of the oceans within the framework of global change, quantifies interactions between the marine geosphere and biosphere, and provides information for a sustainable use of the ocean.” The studies within MARUM focus on the six research areas: Ocean and Climate, Biogeochemical Processes, Sedimentation Processes, Coastal Dynamics and Human Impact, Seepage of Fluid and Gas, and Hydrothermal Vents. In order to support research in marine science and to provide an operational service in the frame of collaborative projects, two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are based at the MARUM at University of Bremen - the 1000 meter ROV CHEROKEE made by SubAtlantic and the 4000 meter ROV QUEST made by Schilling Robotics.