OpenROV

Lore & Background

The development of OpenROV was partly fueled by the legend of stolen gold hidden in the deep waters of Hall City Cave near Hayfork, Trinity County, Northern California. According to the legend, renegade Native Americans stole roughly 100 pounds of gold nuggets from miners in the 1800s and buried them in the cave to lighten their load while fleeing, but were caught and hanged before they could retrieve the gold. Many have tried to reach the bottom of the cave's narrow, deep well, but none have succeeded. Some OpenROV testing took place at that cave.

The idea to build the submarine was pioneered by Eric Stackpole, then an engineering intern at NASA, who wanted to discover whether the treasure legend was true. David Lang, a self-taught sailor from Minnesota, heard about Stackpole building a small, cheap, robust submarine in his garage to search for the gold and joined the effort. M.K. Borri designed and built the electronics, software, and motor system for a prototype presented at the World Maker Faire in 2011. Lang and Stackpole co-founded OpenROV as an open-source hardware project, a startup, and a DIY community.

OpenROV created a series of ROV kits and a ready-to-use ROV called Trident, both launched on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The company was based for most of its history in Berkeley, California. In 2019, OpenROV merged with Spoondrift Technologies to create Sofar Ocean Technologies.

Reader's Guide

OpenROV's significance lies in its open-source approach to underwater robotics, making exploration accessible to amateurs and professionals alike. By providing a list of parts and assembly instructions, the project lowered the cost barrier for ROV technology, enabling a global community of builders in over 30 countries. The OpenROV forums and Open Explorer platform allowed users to share ideas, solve problems, and document builds and deployments. The submarine itself, weighing about 2.6 kg and powered by eight Li-ion batteries, was controlled via a laptop through a tether and equipped with LEDs and a camera. The project's legacy continued through its merger with Spoondrift Technologies to form Sofar Ocean Technologies, which carries forward the mission of democratizing ocean data. The community aspect—a DIY network of citizen scientists—remains a core part of what OpenROV established, fostering collaborative underwater exploration without requiring expensive proprietary equipment.

Did You Know?

• OpenROV was founded by David Lang and Eric Stackpole in 2011.
• The submarine is powered by eight 26650-format Li-ion batteries.
• Some OpenROV testing took place at Hall City Cave, linked to a legend of stolen gold.