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Soul of the Machine

Like cars, even high-tech underwater robots like the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry need periodic maintenance and upgrades. Before Sentry took part in a recent cruise to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to hunt for “popping rocks,” engineers worked on the vehicle to upgrade its systems, increase its payload by 30 percent, and add a dynamic focus sidescan sonar—a key new component needed on its current mission: assisting the National Transportation Safety Board’s search for the vessel data recorder of the El Faro. The cargo ship sank during Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015, with 33 crew members aboard.(Photo by Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)