More than half of the earth’s surface is covered by the deep sea, but only one percent of this area has been charted so far. For the deep sea is an inhospitable place: its depths are perpetually cold and dark. This poses a major challenge for oceanographers. Because of the hostile conditions for humans, manned dives into the deep sea are extremely dangerous and costly.
Information about the deep sea is thus mostly obtained by remote-controlled diving robots that are connected to a research vessel by cable, such as the MARUM-QUEST. The so-called Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) can dive up to 4000 meters deep and is equipped with HD cameras. The ROV sends videos from the deep sea to the control container on the research ship by glass fiber cable.