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Why the Weight?

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) typically use tethers for remote control, but as they explore deeper parts of the ocean, traditional tethers can weigh them down. The Nereid HT ROV, shown here during engineering sea trials off the coast of New Zealand in 2014, is a new type of hybrid submersible vehicle that can be remotely controlled using a lightweight and reusable optical tether, or operated autonomously without a tether via optical modem communications. Its lightweight design allows Nereid HT to be transported by smaller vessels, and vehicles of this type have operated at depths of 11,000 meters. (Photo by Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)