Robotic ocean vehicles for marine science applications: the European ASIMOV project

The key objective of the ASIMOV project is the development and integration of advanced technological systems to achieve coordinated operation of an Autonomous Surface Craft (ASC) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) while ensuring a fast communication link between the two vehicles. The ASC/AUV ensemble is being used to study the extent of shallow water hydrothermalism and to determine the patterns of community diversity at vents in the D. Joao de Castro (DJC) bank in the Azores.