About CMR

Revolutionizing how humans and machines work in the ocean

Robotic systems promise to open the ocean to humans in new ways. Recent advances in robotics are improving efficiency, lowering costs, and reducing the risks of marine operations.

To speed development of robotic technologies, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has created the Consortium for Marine Robotics. The goal of the Consortium is to collaborate with industry sponsors, academic partners, and key government agencies to change the way people and machines work together in the marine environment.

Areas of research

Recent advances in robotic technology hold vast potential to improve or expand exploration, monitoring, and intervention from coastal waters to full ocean depth, and from ice-covered open ocean to complex underwater infrastructure.

» Untethered ROVs for intervention and sampling
» Long-range, unattended AUV and glider surveys
» ROV and AUV operations under ice
» Underwater acoustic/optical communications and data connectivity
» Navigation, localization, and state estimation in complex environments
» In-situ acoustic and chemical assessment of hydrocarbon leaks
and seeps
» Co-robotics, scalable autonomy, and adaptive sampling
» Advanced materials for deep-submergence operations
» Networked systems of heterogeneous vehicles and distributed sensors
» Near-bottom gravity measurements via AUVs

A legacy of innovation

The scientists and engineers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have helped shape knowledge about the ocean for more than 80 years. Today, the Institution is a recognized leader in the research, development, and deployment of robotic and related systems whose methods and technologies have proven their value in a range of applications:

» Long-duration, deep-ocean survey and sampling of marine chemistry,
geology, and biology
» Deep- and shallow-water forensic investigations
» Harbor and coastal infrastructure security
» Environmental incident response and monitoring
» Routine access to deep-water, under-ice, and coastal environments

Join CMR

Industry Sponsors
Join scientific, commercial, and military users and developers in creating the next generation of autonomous ocean systems.

Private Philanthropy
Individuals are playing an important role in the creation of the Consortium for Marine Robotics.