Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

IFE's most ambitious vehicle is Hercules.  Like Little Hercules, it is a neutrally buoyant ROV, moved about by thrusters and equipped with a High Definition video camera. But Hercules is specially designed for excavation - digging and recovering artifacts from ancient shipwrecks in the deep ocean.

Hercules is able to operate freely like Little Hercules, but it can do most of its excavation work while anchored securely to a "gantry" - a metal frame that straddles the area to be excavated. This gives Hercules a fixed base to operate from, without the vehicle having to drop right down onto the bottom, which would damage the site.

Hercules has "manipulators," mechanical arms that can lift, push, grab and generally do the work involved in excavation. A variety of tools are used; particularly water jets and suction pipes to clear the mud away.