#34: Underwater ROV: Making aquatic infrastructure inspection safer, cost-effective

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages hundreds of locks and dams, which are critical components of a complex navigation system that is central to our nation’s economy and security. Inspecting this aging aquatic infrastructure often requires costly and dangerous processes, such as deploying divers or dewatering structures, halting the flow of goods and materials. To help USACE districts perform these inspections in a safer and more cost-effective manner, and with higher quality, ERDC has been testing the use of an underwater remotely operated vehicle – or ROV. We visit with Shea Hammond, a wildlife biologist with ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory who leads a team taking commercially available technology and pushing it – and related science – to its limits, validating and developing systematic and best practices. Topics include how the ROV’s capabilities assist USACE engineers (:56), the types and scale of infrastructure components the ROV is being used to inspect (3:39), how deploying an ROV can improve cost and safety of infrastructure inspection (5:18), and how ERDC “stumbled upon” using the ROV in civil works missions (6:34). We also discuss how the ROV is supporting USACE dive teams (9:14) and how ERDC fosters programs that benefit both military engineering and civil works missions (20:04). Watch a video of this podcast on our website at PowerofERDCpodcast.org/34-underwater-rov_video. For additional resources about ERDC’s underwater ROV research, visit PowerofERDCpodcast.org/34-underwater-rov_resources. For inquiries about the underwater ROV program, email [email protected]. For more information on the Power of ERDC podcast, visit www.PowerofERDCPodcast.org.