Undersea Robots On Damage Control Mode At Gulf Oil Spill

June 27th, 2010 - 7:51 pm ICT by GD  

By Ranjan Bhaduri
mp_main_wide_gulfoilburning452Louisiana, June 27, (THAINDIAN NEWS) BP has employed an army of advanced and capable submersible robots to stop the oil gush from the deepwater Horizon rig at the Gulf of Mexico. These robots are extremely powerful. They can do a lot of tasks underwater which no human being can think of. These robots can withstand 5,000 pounds of water pressure, lift weights worth 1 ton and also capture 3d Video images. The robots are working underwater at the Deepwater Horizon rig to put an end to the oil spill that is threatening the economy and environment in the Louisiana coast. One such robot recently clashed with an oil collecting cap and had to be temporarily removed. A BP spokesperson said there is no alternative other than depending on these undersea robots.

The robots are controlled remotely through joysticks. The joysticks are operated by human operators who maneuver the robots and water and also control their mechanical arms. These robots can reach a depth of 18,000 feet under water and can carry on working as long as the parts last. These types of robots have often been used in offshore drilling till the late 1980s after the technology was invented by U.S. Department of Defense for examining soviet submarines. Over the years, the technology has progressed by leaps and bounds.

However, these undersea robots have not been used before in oil leak prevention related tasks. The robots have been pressed into the task without testing and there lies the challenge. The operators are facing challenges in using the robots in real time and they are trying their best to stop the ecological disaster.

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