Blue Line

Products
Special agent uses Deep Trekker ROV to retrieve ATV lost underwater

May 28, 2020  By Staff


Photo: Deep Trekker Inc.

Glenn Lang, a special agent at the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, “inventively” used a Deep Trekker DTG3 ROV to safely locate and remove a sunken ATV, according to Deep Trekker.

“Solving harsh environmental situations with fully assembled, tested and ready-to-use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs),” Deep Trekker “gets eyes underwater in minutes.” Deep Trekker’s underwater drones boast applications in search-and-rescue, ocean science, shipping, defense, infrastructure and aquaculture among others.

In early 2020 on Crawford Pond in Warren, Maine, two ATV riders drove out into a dangerous area of open water. Safely and efficiently rescued by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and the Maine Warden Service, both riders were unharmed. However, the ATV was lost underwater.

Covering an area of 596 acres with a maximum depth of 57 feet, Crawford Pond is a “tough spot to find a sunken ATV in,” the company noted. Police had a flat-bottomed jon boat to retrieve the ATV with. However, actually finding the sunken vehicle would require more than that.

Advertisement

In lieu of sending down a diver into dangerous conditions to confirm the location of the vehicle, the team opted to send in the DTG3. Using the ROV’s 4k camera, Lang was able to find the ATV within half an hour.

Once the location of the ATV was confirmed by the ROV, the DTG3 was used to tie a slipknot onto the sunken vehicle to allow it to be pulled from the water.

“We are always happy to see our ROVs used in a way that helps others,” said Deep Trekker president Sam Macdonald. “Seeing the innovative way that Special Agent Lang uses his DTG3 is incredibly rewarding.”

Lang has generously offered his services free of charge to the state police in searches for people who have gone through the ice.

Deep Trekker Inc. was founded in 2010 to create “portable, affordable and easy-to-use” harsh environment robotic inspection tools. The company is headquartered in Ontario, Canada, with engineering and manufacturing all completed in house.


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below