RE2 Robotics, VideoRay Achieve Depth Milestone for Inspection-Class ROV

Underwater system being developed for Office of Naval Research (ONR) reaches unprecedented depth for an inspection-class ROV

RE2 Robotics said that its Maritime Mine Neutralization System (M2NS) reached a depth milestone of more than 1km during a recent open-water demonstration for ONR.

M2NS is an underwater autonomous mine neutralization system composed of RE2 Sapien Sea Class underwater robotic arms mounted onto VideoRay’s inspection-class Defender remotely operated vehicle (ROV). 

M2NS also uses RE2’s advanced computer vision and autonomy software, RE2 Detect and RE2 Intellect, to enable the precise, autonomous, and clandestine neutralization of a target.

During the test event, which took place in the Pacific Ocean with support from the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in Point Loma, Calif., four successful dives exceeding 1,000m of depth were completed. The dives were conducted using supervised autonomy, which allows human operators to monitor the robotic system’s autonomous movements and make corrections if necessary.

All onboard electronics remained operational during the deep dives, including the ROV’s camera feed and data to the support vessel, proving the survivability of the complete system to a depth of more than 1,000 meters.

“We have proven the ability to deploy the Defender with a large payload to depths of 3,500 feet (1,000+ meters) from a small deck footprint,” said Marcus Kolb, chief technology officer, VideoRay. “We performed complex, autonomous manipulation tasks with the RE2 system while station-keeping a few feet off the bottom. We are excited about the direction of this program and how it will help accelerate commercial solutions.”