Going under with deep sea drones

For the last few decades, drones have been plying the deeps of the ocean. They're called remotely operated vehicles --or ROV's-- and they've become essential to undersea exploration. But they're big, and expensive. Spark contributor Sterling Eyford hops aboard the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus with none other than Dr. Robert Ballard (he discovered the Titanic and the Bismarck!) to check out the amazing ROV Hercules.

Check out this amazing video of a rare sperm whale encounter with one of the Nautilus' ROVs. 

Sterling also finds out more about OpenROV, new low-cost underwater drones designed to make anyone feel like an oceanographer. 

Photos of the ROV Hercules aboard Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus: