The are many applications for unmanned vehicles, however, one of the fastest growing is inland operations, which are more often than not performed in shallow water. In the past, the first approach has been to use human divers. Today, however, a large share of the market is being taken up by ROVs. In most cases, the availability of this technology will not replace divers, but will assist them. Although in extremely hazardous situations, the ROVs will indeed replace divers, albeit for their protection.

For the case of inland operations, just as in offshore operations, every time a diver enters the water, he is indeed entering a hazardous environment. Accordingly, the ROV can play an increasingly important role without ever totally replacing the diver—there are just some things that can not be done with a robot; and, not everyone can afford to use one.

The logistics for the inshore use of ROVs is much different than that required for offshore applications. First, you have to get the ROV to the location of the dive—it is a lot easier to pull up in a boat offshore than to carry a vehicle and cable up a mountain to the entry point of a tunnel. Second, the hazards offshore haven’t changed much in some time, but the hazards to be encountered inshore can be dramatic: nuclear radiation, zero visibility, severe tunnel and river currents, bodies, lawyers, and the dreaded "zebra mussel." The photo to the right shows a Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom vehicle working in a nuclear reactor. One fact is clear: ROVs will become an integral part of inshore operations. Prices will come down, "Rent-an-ROV" firms have appeared, and statistics indicate that inshore ROVs are here to stay.

One of the lead companies that provides ROVs for inland, and many other applications, is Deep Ocean Engineering Inc. (DOE). A quick look at their record should clarify the significant role that small ROVs are playing and the diverse array of users that are applying this technology. DOE has sold more ROVs than any other company—over 400 vehicles. Most of these sales are in their low cost PHANTOM line of ROVs, which are currently being used in more than 30 countries, and 11 different navies. Applications include security, customs and police applications, nuclear and hydroelectric plant and tunnel inspections, offshore oil and gas support, ship hull inspection, treasure hunting, scientific research, environmental monitoring, and broadcast quality filming. They have also been working with NASA to refine a "telepresent" interface for the PHANTOM control system; are the world’s leading supplier of ROVs for nuclear applications with their PHANTOM 150, DRAGONFLY and FIREFLY vehicles; and have a special family of vehicles, the PHOENIX, designed to meet requirements that go beyond other capabilities in terms of cable length up to 6.2 miles (10 km), speed up to 5 knots (9.3 km/hr), power, data transmission, and depth down to 26,247 ft (8,000 m). Inshore applications of DOE’s vehicles have included:

• Bridge footing inspections
• Dam face, grating and pen stock inspections
• Fish, crab and benthic surveys
• Zebra mussel surveys and removal
• Potable water tank and reservoir inspections, sampling and cleaning
• Intake and outfall inspections
• Lost object recoveries
• Boat salvage
• Archeology
• Side scan ground truthing
• Video documentation
• Body and evidence recoveries

DOE’s Pipeliner vehicle (for inspection inside large pipes) and miniature Firefly (for inspecting nuclear power plants) are shown in the figures to the right.

Recently, ROVs have gained fame for recovering massive treasures from long lost ship wrecks. And, the use of small, low cost ROVs for personal use is becoming a reality as shown in the photo below. Whether ROVs are used to find lost objects or for educational purposes, they will increase in their number and applications. They may not totally replace the diver, but as the picture below indicates, they are trying to come close.