Underwater Robot Helps Scope Out Oil Spills

Mar-19-15 A new underwater robot able to locate the thickest part of an oil spill could increase the efficiency of oil spill clean-up operations.

Currently, assessing the different thicknesses of an oil spill is carried out through visual surveillance, which can be hindered by access and visibility. In order to increase the accuracy of these assessments, researchers have create an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) that uses acoustic signals to detect the thickest part of the spill and estimate the spill's entire volume. By emitting sound waves from underwater and measuring the delay in echoes, the ROV software is able to determine the full volume of the oil spill—not just the amount visible on the surface.

Image: Dale McElhone and Paul Panetta with their Acoustic Slick Thickness ROV, in front of the 8,460-gallon tank they used for testing the vehicle inside VIMS' Seawater Research Laboratory.

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