TAMPA, Fla. — A cutting-edge tool will soon be available for researchers and students studying the deep sea.

Researchers at USF and The Florida Institute of Oceanography revealed Taurus Monday, a new remotely-operated vessel (ROV) that will change exploration and education.

“If you’re a scientist who studies the geology of the sea floor, you can put tools on it to take sediment samples, or rock samples,” said Nicole Raineault, Chief Scientist with the Florida Institute of Oceanography. “If you’re a scientist who studies biology, there are two manipulator arms that you can take biological samples with storage boxes.”

Taurus can travel two and a half miles deep. It livestreams images from remote areas of the ocean to operators and the public onshore and allows researchers to communicate in real-time. USF boasts being the only university in the continental United States to own an ROV.

“I see a lot more technological innovation, I see a lot more discovery, I see a lot more understanding coming out of this university to help us appreciate how the oceans, what role they play in everything from economy to environment,” said Professor Tom Frazer, Dean of the College of Marine Science at USF.

The first scientific mission in late July is part of a career development program.

“Some of the things we’re studying are sharks in the deep sea, as well as deep sea coral and seep communities that exist right off our shores here,” said Raineault.

Researchers are excited about the cutting-edge technology that can help train the next generation of marine scientists while expanding exploration.

“If you really want to get into the inner workings of this planet and what we’re doing to it and how it contributes back to us, you have to look deeper than just the surface of the ocean,” said Monty Graham, Director of Florida Institute of Oceanography.