subbottom
profiler

precision
navigation

 

 

RESEARCH

DeepArch seeks to be a nucleus of research, on the cutting-edge of investigation into methodology and technology for deep water archaeology. One of the current foci in underwater archaeological investigation is in-situ survey. We are in the process of developing a high-frequency sub-bottom profiler to image buried shipwrecks and other submerged sites without disturbing them. This sensor will be a useful tool in initial site investigation, as well as continued monitoring throughout excavations or preservation. Another area of focus is the need for precise measurements while surveying. The nature of archaeological survey requires extreme precision, because interpretation of sites depends on the spatial relationships of artefacts and the surrounding environment. A new acoustic measuring system is being developed to track underwater vehicles, as well as to be used by divers to measure artifacts and their spatial relationships with each other.

Archaeology in the deep sea poses some of the most interesting and difficult challenges in underwater robotics today.

 

 

 

 

 

 


DeepArch

Deep Water Archaeology Research Group
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave. Rm e51-194
Cambridge, MA 02139

MIT

 

links research events expeditions home education publications in the press