French deep diving robot joins submarine search
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00:00 It weighs around four and a half tons and can work round the clock.
00:03 It may not look like much, but this French robot, the Victor 6000, is powerful
00:08 and is now one of the latest tools to join the hunt for the missing Titan submersible.
00:12 "The robot Victor works hard and is really precise in its movements.
00:19 It can work to an accuracy of a centimetre and then, with powerful arms, manipulate objects
00:26 and free the submersible if it gets stuck."
00:30 Victor has been in operation since 1999.
00:34 The machine can dive up to 6,000 metres,
00:37 much deeper than the wreckage of the Titanic, which lies at about 3,810 metres.
00:42 The robot is attached by a long cable to the research ship Atalante.
00:47 A team from the French marine research institute Ifremer,
00:51 who are on board the ship, will operate Victor as it scours the deep seas.
00:56 While underwater, the robot is capable of conducting video and acoustic searches.
01:01 With a HD camera, integrated data storage and processing system,
01:05 the device is able to send 3D images up to the surface to help rescue teams in their search.
01:11 But this yellow cube does have its limits.
01:14 It's only able to carry up to 100 kilograms.
01:18 If found, the Titan will be too heavy for Victor to lift on its own,
01:22 but the robot can hook it to the ship, which will raise the sub to the surface.