The Mini Rover ROV was the world's first small, low cost

remotely operated underwater vehicle A remotely operated underwater vehicle (technically ROUV or just ROV) is a tethered underwater mobile device, commonly called ''underwater robot''. Definition This meaning is different from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the ai ...

(ROV) when it was introduced in early 1983. After a demonstration to industry professionals, in the Spring of 1984, it made a significant entry to the remotely operated vehicle market. It is a self-propelled, tethered, free swimming vehicle that was designed and built by Chris Nicholson of Deep Sea Systems International, Inc. (DSSI). The Mini Rover ROV entered the ROV market at a price of $26,850 when the next lowest cost ROV was $100,000. Nicholson built the first Mini Rover ROV in his garage in Falmouth, MA. It was 26 inches long and weighed 55 pounds. It could be carried on airplanes as luggage. The Mini Rover ROV has been involved in many undersea expeditions including the 1989 3D filming of the

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and the 1989 and 1990 Pearl Harbor Project with the

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and

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to survey the

USS Arizona Memorial The USS ''Arizona'' Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and commemorates the events of that day. The ...

. In the 1989

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

film, The Abyss, the Mini Rover MKII ROV is credited as "Little Geek". The size and portability of the Mini Rover ROV made it easily deployable for emergency situations anywhere in the world. On November 2, 1999, a Mini Rover ROV was on board the

USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170) USNS ''Mohawk'' (T-ATF-170) was a United States Navy operated by the Military Sealift Command from 1980 to 2005. Construction and characteristics The contract for the first four ''Powhatan''-class tugs was awarded to Marinette Marine Co. ...

at the scene of the October 31, 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crash site to be used to identify target locations. Benthos, Inc. (

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Benthos) acquired exclusive designs, trademarks, marketing and manufacturing rights for the Mini Rover ROV from DSSI in 1987. Benthos had been manufacturing and servicing the Mini Rover ROV for DSSI since 1984.

References

{{Underwater diving, divsup Remotely operated underwater vehicles