Meet Dora

When we visited Millersville University in October 2014, Dr. Kumar, Professor of Ocean Sciences & Coastal Studies, was hard at work on a project that was aimed to launch this summer. This past weekend he joined us aboard the RV Flatfish along with Dr. McCade, Professor of Applied Engineering, Safety, & Technology, and the Millersville Submersible Research Team to test out their pet project: Dora.  Dora is an underwater ROV that will be used to help map and record benthic data in the Chincoteague Bay. The mini-submarine is a VideoRay Pro4 with an advanced commercial sonar system mounted on back to scan the sea floor to create digital models for detailed analysis. She's also equipped with a high-definition GoPro camera to capture video of marine life in their natural habitat.

This was the first time that the team was able to test Dora's capabilities in open water, as she's previously been tested in large swimming pools close to the Millersville campus. Overall, the team deemed the trail a success, with some minor adjustments that they plan to make in the coming weeks. Dora will be used during the Field Methods in Oceanography course this summer.

Dr. McCade, Dr. Kumar, Nate Murry, Brad Vanleuvan, Angela Ditri, and Mike Burns pose with Dora after a successful day of testing in Chincoteague Bay.

Ali Redman, CBFS College Coordinator deploys Dora off the coast of Greenbackville, VA.

Nate Murry, a graduate student in GeoInformatics at MU, controls Dora from this computer aboard the vessel.