The ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface, but we know more about the surface of the moon than the seabed. According to the latest data from NOAA, only about 26% of the Earth's seabed has been mapped so far. Therefore, the company Bedrock Ocean wants to map the entire seabed of the Earth using a fleet of autonomous robots.
The autonomous robot (AUV) developed by Bedrock Ocean uses electric power and can operate for 12 hours without human intervention. The scanning system currently used requires a ship to tow a scanning machine behind the ship using a cable and requires the ship to be controlled by a human.
After the mapping process is complete, it will return to the sea surface and transmit data back to the mother ship using the Starlink internet connection. Each AUV is said to be able to do the job of one ocean scanner ship currently in use, with each ship able to carry up to 12 AUVs at a time.
Bedrock Ocean developed this AUV not only to carry out search and rescue missions. Mapping data is useful for planning the route of submarine cables before they are installed, assessing their environmental impact, monitoring pipelines, and monitoring submarine cables. It also has military uses such as detecting landmines and surveilling enemy positions without being detected.
If the Bedrock Ocean AUV works as promised, it could solve many of the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of the world's most famous ships and aircraft. The final location of MH370, which disappeared 11 years ago in the Indian Ocean, could be found, as could the disappearance of Amelia Earhart in 1937.