ECA Group and Ifremer have presented the hybrid underwater robotic system H-ROV Ariane at Oceanology International in London.

The H-ROV Ariane, designed by Ifremer, can be operated in tethered (ROV) or autonomous (AUV) modes.

Tethered mode can be used for close inspection and intervention tasks where the operator controls the vehicle on real time using a patented actuator system. The H-ROV can be operated in autonomous mode either as a safety fallback strategy in case of tether rupture, or as a dedicated mission such as performing a structural inspection of subsea processing system, the company explained.

For the scientific community the H-ROV is able to gather specific samples thanks to a motorized tools bay, a water and faunal specimen sampler combining with an electrical reversible water ballast system.

Furthermore, in oil & gas industry the system can perform operations in case of unexpected environmental conditions which would cause to break sequences or execution steps.