ISCO Chairman Rupert Bravery and board member Zäl Rustom took part in the inaugural project meeting of a team of University of Sussex engineering graduates working towards their Master of Science (MSc) postgraduate qualification.   The team consists of three mechanical engineers, three robotics engineers and an electronic engineer.

Their project will involve designing and building a submersible ROV that is intended to be used in ensuring optimum situational awareness when responding to underwater spill response – such as lost cargo, marine salvage, wreck oil recovery etc.

The team will be mentored by a number of ISCO Council members including Zäl, Rupert and ISCO board member Paul Foley.   A number of ISCO members have also indicated that they would like to assist the project.

Through the ISCO network we have been able to introduce the team to Brian Oakley, formerly of NASA, who had been responsible for ensuring that the Space Shuttles and the International Space Station (ISS) could effectively communicate with each other as well as Houston Control.    Brian will be assisting the team in ensuring that their ROV can respond to commands and relay data back to the surface effectively through difficult environments.