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Operating Without a Tether

WHOI research engineer Casey Machado works on Nereid Hybrid Tether (HT) during dock trials recently. The “hybrid” in Nereid HT’s name means the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) can either be controlled using different kinds of tethers, or it can operate without a tether, as an autonomous vehicle or controlled via an optical modem. On the August cruise, engineers successfully tested Nereid HT’s untethered mode using the modem. They also demonstrated the load-bearing capabilities of the vehicle’s recently redesigned lift tether, and deployed the ROV to its maximum depth of 2,500 meters. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)