Posted April. 23, 2015 07:23,
A large underwater exploration project on a vessel of the Joseon Dynasty will be launched with a cutting-edge robot. As it is in the initial stage, the robot will be used for underwater shooting, instead of excavation. It is the first time, however, that a robot is deployed to underwater exploration.
The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage under the Cultural Heritage Administration starts an exploration project Thursday on Mado no. 4, a vessel of the Joseon Dynasty discovered in October last year, after having a memorial service off Mado Island of Taean County, South Chungcheong Province.
The Crabster CR200, an underwater robot to be deployed in this project, can raise relics from the bottom of the sea and explore the sea with an ultrasound camera and a sonar. The robot, which 2.4 meter long, 2.4 meter wide, and 1.3 meter high, weighs around 650 kilograms. It can walk along the sea floor at the speed of 0.25 meters per second with six legs including two claws that can pick up things.
The robot, jointly developed by the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage and the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, can work in dangerous places such as in deep water or water with fast current on behalf of people. The national research institute will test the robot on the exploration site for about a month until mid-May. Mado no. 4 will be the first case that will show the traces of sea trade of white porcelain made during the Joseon Dynasty, said Shin Jong-guk, a researcher at the institute.