Has anyone considered

#1

..... fabricating a magnetohydrodynamic propulsion system for OpenROV? The ROV wouldn't get tangled as much because of the lack of moving parts, it would be quieter in the water, and would likely cause less of a disturbance in a sandy or silty environment. It may only work in salt water, so it may take some development and engineering for freshwater.

More information at: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2006/mhd-i-demonstrate-magnetohydrodynamic-propulsion-in-a-minute/

#2

Hey Spencer,

That would certainly increase the cool factor for the ROV! Unfortunately, I think systems like this are very inefficient with power which makes them impractical for what we're doing, but it would still be very interesting to see some experimentation on the subject. Any test set-ups in mind?

Eric