Deep-sea robots
With their articulated hands, which allow them to grasp objects, these robotic archaeologists are pushing the boundaries of underwater exploration. It was quite an unusual diving team that took to the waters off Toulon in mid-April… A colossus standing 3 meters tall and weighing 180 kilograms, followed by a more discreet companion.
Their names: Ocean One and Léonard. What makes them special? They’re robots. Revolutionary robots that are pushing the boundaries of underwater exploration and precision work.
For Ocean One’s first mission, the robots dived in Toulon Harbor to the wreck of the Lune. This warship from Louis XIV’s fleet sank in 1664, taking with it weapons, tableware, and the crew’s personal belongings—precious artifacts of a bygone era now resting 90 meters below the surface. A treasure trove for archaeologists. And a challenge for researchers:“Beyond a depth of 50 meters, wreck exploration by divers becomes too dangerous and too complex,” explains Vincent Creuze, a researcher at the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics (LIRMM).
The first underwater humanoid
Ocean One is the world’s first underwater humanoid robot. With its three-fingered hands, the robot developed by Stanford University is capable of picking up valuable and fragile objects from the seafloor and bringing them to the surface without breaking them. This delicate operation is made possible by revolutionary technology: “haptic” systems that allow the robot’s pilot to feel the pressure exerted on its metal hand, thereby translating the “sensations” perceived by the robot’s arm.
During its dive, Ocean One was assisted by the robot Léonard, developed entirely by LIRMM. Its mission: to support the humanoid’s umbilical cord, mitigating the disruptive effects of ocean currents and providing the pilot with an overhead view.
A fruitful collaboration that heralds a new era for underwater archaeology, which will now be able to explore shipwrecks at ever-greater depths.