Phoenix’s xBot® is a specialized micro-ROV that is characterized by its small footprint, high maneuverability, and low cost. This inspection and video documentation ROV was specifically designed and built by Phoenix engineers to penetrate hard-to-access or dangerous areas, such as the interior spaces of sunken shipwrecks. Our xBot® series was made famous by James Cameron, who tasked Phoenix to build four xBot®s for a documentary he produced for Discovery Channel called “The Last Mysteries of Titanic”.
Designed to operate from an underwater host platform (ROV, sled, or submersible), the battery-powered xBot® requires only a fiber optic link. The xBot® eliminates the use of pressure vessels and penetrators (except for the camera) by using oil compensated, pressure tolerant components, which allows for a reduction in the overall vehicle size, weight, and cost. In 2010, the xBot® was successfully deployed to conduct a forensic inspection of the control room of the Deepwater Horizon, the drilling rig involved in the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico earlier that year.
Other mission capabilities include:
- Internal Pipe Inspection
- Shipwreck Penetration
- Submerged Structure Penetration
- Add-on Visual Tool for Manned Submersibles