As mere humans, superpowers are
beyond our reach but sometimes
technology lets us mimic these powers
pretty well. If you’ve ever dreamt of
breathing underwater or exploring the
ocean depths without a submersible,
then take a look at the Iron Man-esque
ExoSuit. With regular SCUBA gear,
divers are limited by the effects that
pressure has on the human body and by
lengthy decompression stops. However
this ‘wearable’ submersible is a suit that
can take the pilot from sea level all the
way down to a dizzying 305m (1,000ft)
in relative comfort, with up to 50 hours
of life support. Made of aluminium alloy
and weighing in at 250kg (550lb), the
astronaut-style suit also has four
thrusters to propel it. The suit, working
alongside an ROV equipped with
cameras and video equipment, will
enable marine scientists to get
fi rst-hand experience of the life they
study beneath the waves.
Personal deep
sea exploration
the oil industr y for drilling support or sub-sea
construction, the nav y for search and recover y
missions and by scientists to explore the ocean
and collect data.
A ll ROVs have a camera that links a v ideo feed totheir parent boat. From here, the operator is then
able to guide the vehicle through a task. The robot
w ill often have various highly specialised
functions, for example, hydraulically powered
manipulator arms that are f ully w ieldable by the
person at the robot’s controls. ROVs can be used to
accomplish tasks that regular humans simply
couldn’t do, to be used in the ocean the same way
scientists would use rovers and landers in space.
Some ROVs operate using a fi bre-optic umbilical
tether. This connects the robot to the boat and
passes information bet ween the control centre
and the undersea unit. Using a tether can limit the
ROV’s depth capabilities, but it also prov ides a
level of security in that the ROV is less easily lost at
sea. That is, until the tether becomes tangled or
snagged. Other ROV systems are able to operate
tether-free, either breaking away from their cable
at depth, for example Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution’s (WHOI) ‘ABE’, which stands for
Autonomous Benthic Explorer.
The advantage of using a Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV) to explore the deep ocean, recover
shipw recks or collect samples is that it poses no
risk to human life. Remov ing the human elementfrom the equation also means ROVs are cheaper to
build and use.
However, many oceanographers argue that the
work of a robot underwater is no comparison to
the reactions of a human brain. Life support in
submersibles is a huge part of their makeup. The
pilot and passengers need to be kept at a constant
pressure, comfortable temperature and supplied
with breathable air. The CO 2 and water vapour
exhaled by the crew needs to be removed (this is
often achieved using the same method as used on
a space ship) and contingenc y scenarios need to be
in place for ever y conceivable emergenc y. In James
Cameron’s Deep Sea Challenger expedition, his
pilot sphere was engineered to condense waterOxygen systems
With up to 50 hours
available, the suit’s O 2
stores allow for
multiple dives.Fibre-optic
tether
This provides two-way
communications with
topside scientists as
well as live video
steams from the suit.Thrusters
Four 1.6-horsepower
water jet thrusters are
on board to propel the
suit through the water.Manipulators
These act as gripping
devices, enabling the
pilot to pick up
samples and take
scientifi c readings.Viewing port
The port is
teardrop-shaped,
allowing a wide
fi eld of view down
the chest level for
the pilot.Torso opening
The pilot gets in and out of
the suit via the torso, where
the suit comes apart.
Rotary joints
These joints allow the pilot
to move while wearing the
suit. They work by rotating
at different angles.Foot pads
Pressure-sensitive pads in
the feet allow the pilot to
control the thrusters and
direction of movement.hours of
life support
50
A prototype of the
innovative ExoSuit in
preliminary testingSEA