Ontario-made robot helps with South Korean ferry recovery

A WaterlooRegion companys underwater robots are helping divers off the coast of South Korea search for the still-missing passengers fromlast months deadly ferry sinking.

Almost 220 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of the Sewol ferry so far. The ferry was on a routine trip to a popular vacation island on April 16, when it took a sharp turn and capsized. 174 people survived the sinking.

Now, searchers must go deeper and deeper into the listing ship to find the remaining missing passengers.

The work is difficult and dangerous, as strong currents and floating debris hamper recovery efforts.

Thats why a remote operated underwater vehicle, created by Deep Trekker of Ayr, Ont., has been deployed to scout out safe passage for the rescue divers. The company has a dealer in South Korea who was able to dispatch the robot quickly.

If you can imagine a very small remotely-operated submarine that goes beneath the water and has a camera on it, and you drive that around just like you would a first-person video game, said company president Sam MacDonald.

The robot is battery-operated, weighs 20 poundsand is roughly the size of a basketballwhich makesit ideal for this kind of search and recovery, according to MacDonald.

• AUDIO: Deep Trekker's underwater robot helps Sewol ferry search

The portability of our units make it something that is very quick to deploy in situations like this. So where you dont have a power supply and you cant use some of the larger, more sophisticated robots. This one you simply put in the rubber zodiac, take it out to the site and throw it in the water, said MacDonald.

The South Korean ferry sinking is the countrys worst maritime disaster in 40 years. Most of the missing and dead were high school students on a school trip.

All 15 members of the ships crew have been taken into custody by police and South Koreas prime minister has resigned over claims the government didn't do enough to rescue or protect people on board.