DANA POINT : Underwater Robot Takes the Plunge

With students looking on from the docks, the Orange County Marine Institute on Monday unveiled a new remote-controlled underwater vehicle which institute officials say will put them on the cutting edge of ocean exploration.

The Mini Rover MK II, a bright yellow robot that resembles a miniature submarine, explored the underside of the docks and the underwater pier pilings in Dana Point Harbor, and transmitted its findings to the students via television screen.

“This allows us to venture beneath the surface and look at things just like a scuba diver would, only we don’t have to get wet,” said Harry Helling, assistant director of the institute. “This equipment goes into areas too deep or dangerous for divers to go into.”

The robot, which is about 24 inches long and weighs about 80 pounds, has two propellers astern, one each on the top and bottom, and a glass-enclosed camera on the bow. It is worth an estimated $35,000 and was given to the institute last December by an anonymous donor.

The state-of-the-art equipment also has detachable robotic arms that can be used to collect animal and plant specimens and perform general soil sampling.

The institute’s staff has spent several months learning to use the robot, which is similar in technology to equipment used to survey underwater pipes during the recent sewage spill in San Diego County. By summer, the institute staff hopes to be proficient enough to be able to use the robot in the open sea, Helling said.

For the last 10 years, the institute has been teaching children about the wonders of the sea, attempting to spark an interest in science that students will carry back to their classrooms as well as to their everyday lives.

Institute officials said the addition of the robot adds a new dimension to their programs, which each year teach thousands of students and families about the wonders of the sea.

“We make a commitment to make our programs better each year,” Helling said. “We feel that for 10 years now we have been getting better, and what this equipment does is add a new high-technology element.”

The institute opened in 1981 and its programs have been fully booked since 1985. Schools must sign up a year in advance to participate in programs. More than 90,000 students from four western states participate in programs at the institute each year.

The robot will be used to assist in ongoing research projects at the institute and, this summer, will be incorporated into the institute’s sea camps and floating lab dusk cruises, Helling said.

To sign up for the summer programs, call the institute at (714) 496-2274.