UNDERWATER ROBOT FOR SUBMARINE CABLE MAINTENANCE

CARBIS (CAble Repair, Burial and Inspection System), an underwater robot, was introduced in October 1989, primarily for the survey, burial and support of submarine cables. CARBIS plays a principal role in extending NTT's submarine cable construction and maintenance capabilities, including continuous inspection and burial at water depth of up to 1,000 meters, which had been limited in the past. This article describes CARBIS's features and some of the activities actually performed with CARBIS that have contributed to improvement of reliability and making submarine cables maintenance free.