Deep-Sea Robot

Join me for an adventure deep under the sea, into the depths to the ocean floor where creatures lurk and mysteries flourish. Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo plummeted 20,000 leagues into the dark sea, where others fear to plunge. Now scientists have built a machine to explore the bottom of the ocean while they remain safely ashore. It’s called the Benthic Rover -- think Mars Rover, except this one goes under water.

The Benthic Rover recently returned from a voyage off the coast of California, where it gathered information about the effects of climate change on deep sea life. Alana Sherman tells us about it as part of our “next green thing” series. Alana led the team of engineers that built the robot at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: New robot travels across the seafloor to monitor the impact of climate change on deep-sea ecosystems

Wired: Deep-Sea Robot Roves the Unexplored Ocean Depths

(Photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)