The OpenROV v2.7 ready for a swim in Lake Tahoe. (Image: OpenROV, David Lang)
Underwater exploration has traditionally been an exclusive endeavor, accessible only to deep-pocketed adventurers or researchers backed by government scientific agencies. But with the recent rise of citizen science and low-cost, open-source tools, the boundaries to underwater exploration are rapidly being degraded. OpenROV has been leading the charge since 2012, offering low-cost (sub-$1000) submersibles and sparking a community of developers that has bolstered the platform’s functionality. The user base now includes students in Papua New Guinea, water quality testers on the upper Nile, and archaeologists in Bolivia – not exactly the demographic typically rubbing elbows with James Cameron.
Last week, OpenROV released its latest iteration: v2.7, which boasts new motors, improved motor speed controllers, and brighter on-board lights to better facilitate the pursuit of hidden nooks and crannies. Carefully oriented lasers offer a constant scale bar, and a supplementary sensor can track depth, water temperature, and heading. And it’s been ruggedized. “The biggest upgrades are in robustness,” explains OpenROV co-founder David Lang. “Every aspect of the ROV was subtly redesigned to be more capable and able to withstand more rigorous use.”
Despite the improved hardware, Lang maintains that “the hallmark of OpenROV has always been the community.” A vibrant GitHub discussion board tracks users’ software innovations and hardware add-ons; the open nature of the platform allows other enthusiasts to follow suit, programming thrusters, illumination patterns, or sensor deployments in ever-evolving ways. In one particularly unexpected project, Sri Lankan conservationist Asha de Vos is using the ROV to characterize local hazards and protect a unique local population of non-migratory blue whales. “This tool is allowing researchers with smaller budgets to access tools they normally couldn’t afford,” explains Lang.
But the subaqueous realm is just one component of Lang’s complementary project, OpenExplorer, a user-driven site that features expeditions around the world. It’s armchair adventurism at its best, updated for the 21st century, with updates streaming in from around the world. One initiative is generating maps of small seamounts and photographic cold water corals just off the coast of Vancouver. Another is gearing up to cruise through flooded mines in northern Wales, exploring these underground time capsules before they’re lost to new, more destructive mining initiatives. Onlookers have the opportunity to sponsor the expeditions: Kickstarter meets National Geographic.
Lang’s overarching mission is to promote and bolster access to the unknown – to democratize exploration – and he compares the burgeoning citizen science movement to other internet-facilitated disruptions in fields like music, journalism, or manufacturing. “It seems like science, with funding sequestration and a push for more open access, is in the process of opening up in a similar way,” Lang says. “It’s the long tail of curiosity.”
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