Spotlight on Technology: Bleeper Evo—An Easy-to-Handle ROV for Benthic Study

Abstract

Bleeper Evo is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) developed by the company Praesentis in collaboration with Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) in Barcelona. The main goal of this project was to develop an "easy-to-handle" ROV for benthic studies on the continental shelf. The 40-kg, 110 x 80 x 40-cm Bleeper Evo is capable of seafloor surveys to a maximum depth of 100 m. This ROV can be operated from small boats without a winch system and provides high-quality video images along with temperature and depth data. Two parallel laser beams (532 nm, 50 mW) provide scale in video footage, enabling quantitative analyses of seafloor features as well as characterization and measurement of substrate and fauna.

Keywords

• HERMES
• technology
• remotely operated vehicle
• ROV
• benthic studies
• seafloor characterization