Review of Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Developments 
ROVER, AUTONOMOUS BOTTOM-TRANSECTING VEHICLE [15,16] 
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) developed an autonomous underwater device 
available for performing long-term sequential measurements of benthic community activity. 
Sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) is one measurement of benthic community 
activity that has only been measured over short time periods of one month or less. SIO has 
developed and successfully collected data with a unique, autonomous, bottom-transecting 
vehicle (ROVER) that permits the first long-time-series measurements of SCOC (figure 10). 
This instrument was developed with the following capabilities: 
The instrument autonomously operates as a free vehicle on the sea floor to 6000-meter 
depth for periods up to six months. 
The instrument crawls across the sea floor, minimizing the impact that a long-term, free 
vehicle would have on measurement sites. 
SCOC is measured using two benthic chambers at up to 30 different sites over a single 
deployment. 
Sediment pore water oxygen concentration is measured using a microprofiler at up to 30 
different sites over a single deployment period. 
e Incubation period is programmable for each SCOC measurement. 
e Operation of instruments and the surrounding area is monitored with time-lapse still and 
video cameras. 
e ROVER can be used as an autonomous programmable platform for a wide variety of 
benthic boundary layer measurements. 
e A water sample for oxygen or other analyses is collected at the end of deployment. 
ROVER Description 
The ROVER resembles a small forklift with a 
forward-mounted instrument rack, a savonious 
rotor and vane for measuring water currents, 
double-tread propulsion system, central battery 
packs and controller electronics, flotation, 
acoustic releases, and disposable ballast. The 
structural frame is constructed of titanium and 
fiberglass angle and tubing on which all the 
components are mounted. A polypropylene 
bumper extends ~30 cm beyond the vehicle 
frame to provide protection while handling the 
instrument during deployment and recovery. All 
materials and fabrication procedures used in 
the construction of each component of the 
ROVER were selected to minimize corrosion for 
long-term deployments to full-ocean depths 
(6000 meters). The overall dimensions of the 
Figure 10. ROVER 
ROVER are 2.74 meters long, 2.03 meters wide, and 2.19 meters high from the base of the 
propulsion treads to the top of the lifting bail. 
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