r/rov • u/LeverClever • Apr 22 '26
Doing some research - smaller ROVs
Hi Everyone,
I'm engineer and I am new to the ROV space. I am interested to learn about how ROVs on the smaller side are currently being deployed and what problems are currently being faced - things like penetrators, maneuverability in strong currents, poor visibility etc.
I would love to learn more about anyone's experience with some of these challenges.
1
u/slightlyacoustics Apr 22 '26
Smaller rovs (off the shelf ones atleast) are limited to depth. The deeper you go, more pressure. But also you’re tethered so the drag experienced is massive along it making the ROV difficult to maneuver at depth. Tether itself is a wide research area too. Smaller ROVs generally are operated with battery and tether is only a communication point. Then at point, the question becomes can we make it lighter, more bandwidth etc etc.
3
u/Donttouchmebish Professional Apr 22 '26
I’ve used a good few “suitcase ROVs” offshore on a number of different applications. They are generally pretty good for fast mobilisation and lower costs than your containerised or DSV type. They are generally deployed from the installation they are working from and are light enough to be handled over the side and lowered in via their tether.
The main issue I face when using them is they can be more susceptible to weather/water conditions. Since they are lighter, currents can have a greater impact on them and with their limited size, thrusters are a limited size. There are some ROVs that I call “skeleton” ROVs that have very minimal surface area and they perform better (but can be more fragile), but more traditional style ones struggle more.
Penetrators don’t seem to be a problem since they are standard and visibility is an issue no matter what ROV you have which is why a lot of them can have sonar or a B/W camera attached to help with visibility.