Drilling Machine Explores Ocean
1
2,005
edited by Robert H. Williams
A remotely operated underwater drilling system that can operate at depths of up to 4,000 meters is being developed by Schilling Robotics LLC, Davis, Calif., for the Marum Center for Marine Environmental Sciences of the University of Bremen, in Germany.
Officials said the deepwater robot, which is called MeBo, would be used to retrieve long sediment cores and drill hard rocks in the deep ocean. MeBo will be equipped with several sensors. The drill will be connected by an umbilical cable to the research vessel.
Sea trials of MeBo are set for this coming April.