Tethys' guts

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute employee Mike Godin works on the electronics system aboard Tethys.

One of the things that makes this bot special is that it has the ability to make some decisions on its own, without needing human operators to direct its every move.

This could allow it to conduct continuous research, without having to send back data and wait for its next command. Designed to study oceanic algae, Tethys could keep itself positioned in the center of an algal bloom, adjusting its position and speed to match that of the bloom as it moves in the ocean's currents.