ISIS ROV

By Emre Mutlu (ROV IT/Software Engineer at NOC)

ROV Isis on SMARTEX

ROV Isis is the UK’s deepest-diving ROV dedicated for science. It is capable of doing high-definition videography surveys, capturing high-quality stills and collecting precise samples from the seafloor at ocean depths of up to 6500 metres thanks to its sophisticated navigation systems, six thrusters, highly configurable tool sled and two robotic arms. The vehicle is operated from a containerised control room aboard the vessel, which consists of many screens and computers to aid the pilots and scientists to conduct oceanographic research. 

ROV Isis Control Room

In addition to the high-definition cameras, it also has CTD for conductivity, temperature, pressure measurements, suction sampler, temperature & turbidity probes, multibeam sonar, Niskin bottles, bio-boxes for sampling, as well as several science buses that enables integration of additional scientific equipment and sensors.

One of these sensors that will be integrated on to ROV Isis on SMARTEX is the eDNA autosampler RoCSI (Robotic Cartridge Sampling Instrument). RoCSI is one of the instruments that will be integrated on the ROV along with NOC’s AESA (Autonomous Ecological Surveying of the Abyss) camera system instead of the Autosub 5 as originally planned.

RoCSI mounted onto the ROV Isis

During SMARTEX, on top of its previously planned missions of sample collection, high-definition video recording, deployment and recovery of scientific experiments, ROV Isis will also conduct photography surveys with AESA camera system, collect eDNA samples with RoCSI, map the seafloor with its multibeam sonar system.