The REMUS 600 system presently being manufactured by Hydroid will be modified to house a custom sensor suite, and will incorporate a large battery section to enable very long mission durations, a capability that is key to successfully conducting the research by Dr. Mark Moline and his associates in the Biological Sciences Department. This system will be the third REMUS system owned by the California Polytechnic State University. The previous two REMUS systems were also custom configured to meet their unique research objectives and have been in operation since 2001.
Commenting on the recent contract Dr. Moline stated "We have extensive experience with the REMUS-100 systems, just passing 4,000 km underwater. While these systems continue to be excellent for near coastal applications, their limited duration influences the types of data we can collect and interpretation of the data. For example, we are unable to fully address tidal aliasing in currents, movement of particles etc. The REMUS-600 addresses this issue, but also it allows for a regional snapshot of ocean structure and dynamics. This will allow for near real-time characterization as well as provide ocean models with high density data sets for initialization, assimilation, and/or validation. The depth capability also allows for detailed systematic sampling at depths that cross through the major vertical gradients and out of the euphotic, or lighted, zone of the ocean."
Kevin McCarthy, Vice President of Marketing at Hydroid commented that "Hydroid is pleased that our REMUS technology can play a role in Dr. Moline’s research. His confidence in both the REMUS technology and Hydroid is most appreciated."
Hydroid Inc. holds the exclusive license from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the manufacture and further development of the REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology. In June 2008, Hydroid was acquired by Kongsberg Maritime, and now offers the REMUS and HUGIN family of autonomous vehicles that meet a full range of autonomous needs.