For 40 years or more, ROVs have been used for underwater tasks in oil & gas drilling, defense and ocean research. Over time, ROV technology has vastly improved in size and sophistication. While seemingly mundane, the cables that transmit power, communications, and data to and from the ROV have also become quite sophisticated.
Since those early beginnings, a new emphasis on renewable energy resources has accelerated the use of ROVs for installing offshore wind turbines, and more recently wave and tidal (ocean) power. As coastal waters become more crowded, power companies are branching into deeper waters.