HYDROS is a 2,000-pound Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that is designed to meet the Navy’s shallow water, light weight, rapid deployable salvage requirements to a maximum depth of 5,000 feet anywhere in the world.

The system is air transportable and can operate from a wide variety of vessels-of-opportunity (VOO). The vehicle is an all hydraulic design with a programmable logic controller (PLC) architecture.

Features
The ROV system was designed around two different configurations. The light weight, low-volume configuration is limited to 1,000-fsw and able to fit on a small VOO such as a harbor tug, oceanographic vessel, or commercial fishing boat.

The second heavy configuration is a fully self-sufficient standalone system capable of 5,000-fsw with complete deck gear to include traditional control vans, a launch and recovery handling system, and all support equipment.

The operator can control the ROV in all six degrees of motion, manually and with traditional auto-control functions, for depth, altitude, heading, and speed over ground. Additionally, the control system has an ROV dynamic positioning capability allowing the vehicle to fly via computer instruction allowing hands free position keeping, auto-translate movement, follow pre-programmed routes and go to position functions.

The vehicle is equipped with sonars that can detect acoustic pingers and identify small targets to a distance of 1,000 feet.

HYDROS uses an electro-hydraulic power pack for thrusters and all tooling functions. It has two five-function manipulators capable of working with tools and attaching rigging up to 100lbs. For imaging, the vehicle has a HD Pan and Tilt Video Camera and LED lighting. For special operations, the ROV can accommodate custom skid-mounted tool packages and other sensor suites.