Improved tech
The new technology improves on conventional control systems, the team says, which operate in a corrective fashion. These are prone to responding slowly to the fast-changing disturbances of the ocean, making them much less reliable in such hazardous environments.

A major limitation at present is robots’ ability to perceive and counteract environmental disturbances effectively, which fundamentally restricts the current use of small subsea vehicles. By forming a prediction of future wave disturbances and integrating this within the control system, we're able to expand this range with little to no change to the robot hardware. In terms of translating this technology into the field, this is a huge benefit and makes our system applicable to most vehicles currently available on the market.