What is an ROV?
Good question! A ROV stands for remotely operated vehicles. In other words, it is a robotic submarine connected to a ship, where pilots can manipulate their movement and actions. It can be used for many different objectives, may it be exploring the sea, or retrieving torpedoes lost on the ocean floor. ROVs can vary from very small vehicles to very complex systems the size of a big cardboard box. 
Similar to to the ROV are robots called AUV, or autonomous underwater vehicles. While these robots travel underwater as well, they conduct their missions without an operator. Everything is done independently. ROVs, on the contrast, are connected to a ship with cables, which transmit signals between the pilot and the ROV, allowing remote navigation. Everything is manipulated by an operator. Submersibles are also a type of vehicle that operates underwater, and the ROV is an extended version of these. However, submersibles allow scientists on board, where they are able to explore and see the ocean with their own eyes. Uncrewed submersibles are what are called ROVs. They are used in locations that humans are unable to explore or the divers safety is questioned. 
What major parts are there to an ROV?
A ROV is made out of multiple subsystems that are connected with each other. The major subsystems include a vehicle, tools and sensors, control/display console(s), electrical power distribution, umbilical and tether cables, and a handling system. Difficult words, I know. We will explain some of these later on. See the picture to identify these parts. Because they are all connected with each other, even a small change in one component will affect the entire system. That means that if you want to tweak some parts in one system, you'll have to tweak parts in the other systems too. http://images.marinetechnologynews.com/images/mtblog/w800h500/Seaeyetms-4-700531.gif
How do they move?
ROVs move by remote operation, other known as teleoperation, which allows the operator above the surface to manipulate the underwater object in real time. That is why ROVs can work in unstructured environments. ROVs have 4 thrusters, which are similar to electric motors that enable the robot to move, which allow for horizontal, lateral, or vertical movement. 2 horizontally mounted thrusters allow the robot to move forward and backward, left and right. The other 2 thrusters, which are mounted at an angle, provide vertical and lateral movement.
How do they "sense" the world?
If there are no human beings on board, how do we explore the ocean? ROVs see the oceanic world, and they transmit these views to us. Most ROVs are equipped with a camera video camera, and lights, which allow them to send images and videos back to the ship above. This allows the human operator to have a sense of being on location, kind of like a virtual reality. To display the video signal on the surface, you can either use a monitor with a video input or it can be displayed via an USB videograbber on a laptop screen.
Hercules, a ROV designed for scientific purposes, carries multiple cameras and sensors that are used to gather data. Attached to him is a High Definition Camera that allows scientists to examine the dive sites with high quality resolution. You can measure the depth and area of the research site using a pair of still cameras as well. The sensors attached will measure pressure, water temperature, oxygen concentration, and salinity. These features help scientists have a more thorough understanding of the deep oceans, a place humans have yet to discover.
How do we communicate with the ROV while its underwater?
Crucial question! How do we get it to listen to us? ROVs require a group of cables in order to transfer signals to to and from the vehicle. These cables connect the ROV to the ship, sending electrical signals back and forth. They supply the electrical power to transfer any kind of data back to the controlling computer as well. There are generally two types of cables, an umbilical cable and a tether cable. Umbilical cables are the physical connection between the control unit and the ROV, while the tether actually transmits electrical power and signs to the ROV.
ROV EXAMPLES
JASON
The Jason is designed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Deep Submergence Laboratory for scientific investigation of the deep sea. It is one of the first ROVs for scientific research and exploration, and it can operate to a maximum depth of 6500 meters. Between its career from 1988 to 2001, it made 253 dives with 4683 hours at the bottom of the ocean.
CURV 21
CURV 21 was created by the US NAVY and it is one of the earliest ROVs ever. It is capable of performing deep sea rescue operations as well as recovering objects from the bottom of the ocean, such as the nuclear bomb that was lost in the Mediterranean Sea. This 8 foot long, 5 foot wide robot is equipped with seven hand-like manipulators that allow it to pick up objects while also recording images on a high-resolution digital still camera.
Sources
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