An operator on the ice can switch the unit from “survey mode” to “inspection mode”, activating an onboard laser scanner and high-definition camera that would provide the first pictures of Endurance in more than 100 years. Once the wreck is located, all of these powerful tools combine to produce a digital 3D model of the wreck site and capture video that will write the final chapter of this incredible story.
I recently traveled to Sweden to get my first look at the Sabertooth AUV/ROV that we will use to find Endurance. It is a very impressive robot, and I’m so excited to work with this extraordinary piece of technology. After thoroughly inspecting the Sabertooth and all its systems, we took it for a test drive in a nearby marina. It is highly maneuverable—it can even turn 90 degrees forward and face straight downward, moving laterally through the water! At the same time, the Sabertooth can “hold station” (stay in one place) even in strong water currents by figuring out and adjusting for the speed of the water around it. How might that come in handy?
The next step is to put the Sabertooth through some harder tests. I’m currently in Toulon, France, preparing for deep water trials. In the coming days, we will send the AUV/ROV down 10,000 feet to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea to test its performance under pressure. Following that, we will be creating a mock ice camp in France and thinking through all of the potential challenges that come with drilling a hole through constantly-moving ice, deploying and recovering a tethered AUV/ROV, and making all of the necessary equipment easy to move and durable enough to withstand one of the harshest, most remote places on the planet. We have our work cut out for us.
