Meet ALBEX – the Autonomous Lander for Biological Experiments, built by the Marecotec Lab on University of Rhode Island’s Bay Campus! Standing at 7 feet tall with a durable aluminum frame, ALBEX is designed to withstand the extreme pressures of the deep sea and long-term exposure to salt water. It collects critical environmental data in benthic environments, housing instruments in titanium and supporting larger systems like sediment traps, cameras, hydrophones, particle samplers, and echosounders—expanding our ability to study the deep ocean like never before.
Unlike smaller systems that rely on ROVs, ALBEX uses a buoyancy and drop-weight system to descend to the seafloor and return to the surface. This requires complex deck operations to ensure precise positioning.
Want to learn more? Meet postdoc Jane Carrick, who works with ALBEX to advance deep-sea research!