Taiwan’s researchers develop current-resistant undersea robot

Taiwan’s researchers working with a local company said on Feb 29 that they have developed Taiwan's first current-resistant undersea robot that can resist strong underwater currents and operate in turbid waters.

The robot, or Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), uses energy-saving LED lighting, can automatically adjust its posture to the environment and can transmit images over fiber optic cables.

So far, the ROV, which measures 1.8-meters long and 1-meter wide, has been able to dive to 600 meters, said the team, which consists of researchers from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), NationalSunYat-senUniversityand local bolt maker DWTEK Co.

“The ocean environment around Taiwanis very complicated and some of the ROVs made abroad cannot be used here,” said team member Fang Ming-chung, an NCKU professor.

After the new ROV is launched, Taiwan will be able to cut back on its dependence on foreign equipment to carry out underwater research and will have a craft that is custom made for theisland'smarine environment, said Fang.