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ROVs

A remotely operated underwater vehicle — a submersible you fly from the surface through a tether that carries video up and commands, and often power, down.

  • remotely operated vehicle
  • tethered underwater drone
  • underwater drone
  • corded pool robot

What it is

An ROV is an underwater vehicle controlled in real time by a pilot on the surface, with a cable between the two. Radio does not travel through water, so the tether is what makes live video and direct control possible; it can also carry power, which removes the battery limit. What the tether costs is reach and handling: it drags, snags on wrecks and nets, limits distance from the boat, and needs managing on deck. An ROV never goes anywhere a pilot is not watching.

Consumer brands call them underwater drones. In this taxonomy the rule has three parts, all required: submersible, tethered and remotely operated. Cut the cable and give it a mission and it is an AUV.

What they are used for

  • Inspection — hulls, docks, dams, tanks and aquaculture nets, with grabber and sonar options on light-industrial models like the CHASING M2 PRO.
  • Search and recovery — dive teams scanning a lake bed before a diver goes in.
  • Research and education — the BlueROV2 is the standard open-source platform in universities, shipped as a kit.
  • Recreation and filming — compact drones such as the QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO for divers, anglers and boat owners.

What to compare

Attribute Why it matters In this catalogue
depth_rating A marina needs very little; a dam face or offshore work needs far more 100 m (QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO) – 300 m (BlueROV2)
battery_runtime Or shore power through the tether, which makes it moot 120 min (BlueROV2) – 240 min (QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO)
payload Grabber arm, sonar, extra lights and positioning beacons all ride on the frame 1.4 kg (BlueROV2) – 3.9 kg (CHASING M2 PRO)
mass Whether one person can lift it over the gunwale 3.9 kg (QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO) – 11.5 kg (BlueROV2)
open_source Open firmware and a hackable frame is what the research market buys software (1)
sdk Access to the control loop and camera stream for autonomy experiments proprietary (2), python (1), ros2 (1)
compatible_with Which arms, sonars and tether reels fit not yet in the catalogue

Price picture (observed 2026-10-28)

  • Professional / industrial: USD 1,399 (QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO) to USD 4,900 (BlueROV2).
  • Priced only in other currencies: CHASING M2 PRO (AUD).

Prices are the latest observation per product, in the seller's currency; see each record's offers for history and VAT notes.

In the catalogue

Professional / industrial: BlueROV2 · CHASING M2 PRO · QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO

Edge cases

  • ROV with an optional arm (FIFISH V-EVO, M2 PRO): still an ROV; the arm is an accessory, not a mobile manipulator.
  • Sold as a kit (BlueROV2 ships partly assembled): still an ROV, because it builds one fixed design.
  • Cordless pool cleaners: AUVs, even though they look like crawlers.
  • Tethered vehicle with hold-depth modes: still an ROV; the tether decides.

Related

Aquatic robot · AUV · USV · Camera

Rule of membership

Submersible; tethered. The tether decides, even if it carries only power and the vehicle runs its mission on its own (corded pool cleaners).

Category rb-7-1 in the whatrobot taxonomy.