ROVs Are Heading Underwater to Scan the Titanic Wreckage

14 years since the Titanic was first digitally scanned, a pair of remote-operated submersibles (ROVs) from Marine Imaging Technologies will be doing a deep underwater dive exploration of the ship and its wreckage. These ROVs will be conducting digital 3D scans and taking high-resolution images of the Titanic’s remains to see just how much the ship has deteriorated over the years.

While we do not say this lightly, these ROVs that will be going underwater will also mark the first attempt of any kind to reach the Titanic since OceanGate’s Titan expedition. However, the mission of these ROVs is quite different from that of Titan’s. These ROVs are all about preservation and study as they look at the Titanic’s wreckage and how it may have impacted oceans and other expeditions on the site.

This mission will also shed light on how shipwrecks may impact the health of oceans and marine life nearby. By also doing a 3D scan of the wreckage below, we may also even find new marine life or debris field areas.

With that said the ROVs have quite a mission ahead of them and are thus equipped with high-tech cameras and advanced technology. Marine Imaging Technologies founder, Evan Kovacs, told Oceanographic that the ROVs have a custom-built structured array of high-resolution cameras and custom lightning that will help them capture 65K imagery. Their cameras also have the highest resolution camera systems that will ever be deployed at the site of the Titanic wreckage.

Given how lighting underwater is immensely dark and conditions are near unpredictable, the equipment and technology of these ROVs must be of the highest standard and capabilities. Hopefully, with today’s advancement in technology, these ROVs can accomplish this mission easily. If we can also use the recent mining rescue mission as a case study for the success rate of robots with these expeditions, then the odds are looking good.