For the first time, an underwater robot has autonomously collected an ocean sample, according to scientists with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The robot, named Nereid Under Ice, or NUI, was designed by WHOI engineers as part of NASA’s Planetary Science and Technology from Analog Research program. NUI collected the sample while surveying Kolumbo, an active submarine volcano off the Greek island of Santorini.

“For a vehicle to take a sample without a pilot driving it was a huge step forward,” Rich Camilli, an associate scientist at WHOI and lead researcher on the PSTAR program, said in a news release. “One of our goals was to toss out the joystick, and we were able to do just that.”

NIU is quite large — only slightly smaller than a smart car — and its decision making process is powered by unique artificial intelligence software.

For the latest feat, scientists supplied the software with code developed by Gideon Billings, a student from the University of Michigan currently conducting research at WHOI. The code helped NIU scan Kolumbo’s mineral-rich seafloor for a prime sample-collecting location.

more at upi.com