Diving robot enables complex measurements and analyses

May 21, 2025

Deployment of the in situ mass spectrometer developed by the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and the MARUM - Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen.

Fluid sampling in the deep sea with MARUM-QUEST 5000. Photo: MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen

When a remote-controlled diving robot is out in the deep sea, it can sometimes take weeks for samples and data to reach the home laboratories. This will now change with the new MARUM-QUEST 5000 robot, which completed its maiden dive on the M210 expedition. The reason for this is the scientific equipment attached to the ROV (short for Remotely Operated Vehicle).

Telepresence allows researchers on land to be integrated via a video stream. For the first time, this is now being supplemented by live data from a fluid sampling system, various sensors and a mass spectrometer. The ISMS, short for In Situ Mass Spectrometer, was developed in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen. This system provides precise real-time information on gas concentrations in water at temperatures of up to 400 °C. It is designed for water depths of up to 4,000 meters. In combination with the scientific samples that can be taken using other complex systems on the ROV, this impressively demonstrates the capabilities of the new MARUM-QUEST 5000 for precise and complex measurements and campaigns.

Based on a press release from MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen.