Originally conceived as subsea "eyeballs," ROVs are rapidly evolving into highly capable machines that are more robot than vehicle. Divers will not disappear, according to Tom Ayars, Seanic Ocean Systems president and a former diver himself. "In so much of the Gulf [of Mexico] and the rest of the world, hardware was installed that didn't have ROV intervention built into the concept," he said. "These installations will require divers for some time to come, if not for the life of the hardware. It's old and requires hands-on with wrenches and a five-pound mall to do the stuff."
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