4.6: Hybrid Platforms

Hybrid platforms combine the best features of ROVs and AUVs. Formally known as hybrid remotely operated vehicles (HROVs), these platforms permit researchers to operate the same vehicle with or without a tether (e.g., Bowen et al. 2009; Yoerger et al. 2021). As outlined by Xiang et al. (2015), an HROV can launch underwater in ROV mode and be guided to a research site, then operate as an AUV and return to the surface when its mission is complete.

Hybrid platforms allow oceanographers to reach the deepest depths in the ocean. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, developed the UROV11K—with 12.4 miles (20 km) of fiber-optic cable. In 2017 the vehicle reached a maximum depth of 35,758 feet (10,899 m) in the Mariana Trench (Nakajoh et al. 2018). Unfortunately, the UROV11K has since sunk (Wang et al. 2020). HROVs remain a specialized robotic platform, yet their ability to receive and transmit data and move more flexibly and at greater distances than ROVs will likely propel their further development as a tool for undersea exploration and research.

---