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Driving a robot boat on the other side of the world

A 12m robot boat called Maxlimer is currently mapping the underwater volcano in the Pacific that erupted in spectacular fashion in January. The uncrewed surface vessel (USV) is controlled and monitored via satellite from the company HQ of Sea-Kit International in the UK. Emily Bird visited the Sea-Kit team in Tollesbury, in Essex.

19 August 2022

Tonga eruption and tsunami

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A view from an EasyJet plane window as it flies above and to the side of an erupting volcano

Plane passengers film Iceland volcano lava from above

Column of dark ash against blue sky

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews giant column of ash

Scientist picks up lava with shovel

Scientists collect lava from Kilauea volcano eruption

Aerial shot of a volcano in the region of Reykjanes in Iceland

Watch: Spectacular display as Iceland volcano explodes again

The Nao robot

Could this little robot help rehabilitate stroke patients?

A volcano erupting

Watch: Russian earthquake triggers volcanic eruption

Mount Etna spewing lava upwards, with lots of steam

Watch: Dawn spectacle as Mount Etna erupts

Hikers watch as Mount Etna erupts against the night sky

Watch: Mount Etna spits lava into the night sky

Lava engulfs road in Iceland

Watch: Lava engulfs road in Iceland

Man walks through cold lava barefoot

‘Cold lava’ floods Philippines village after eruption

Lava fountaining from long fisures in Kilauea volcano in Hawaii

First images of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupting

Lava river in Iceland

Mesmerising lava rivers as Icelandic volcano erupts

Iceland volcano

'Curtain of fire': Iceland volcano forces evacuation

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Watch Ocado robots in action

Erupted volcano with lightning

Watch: Volcano in Indonesia spews lava and smoke

Robot dog in Oregon

Robot dog trains to walk on Moon in Oregon trials

Smoke rings

Watch: Mount Etna puffs 'smoke rings' in rare display

Volcano spews ash and smoke against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

Watch: Northern Lights captured glowing over volcano

Robbie, Ian Hamilton and Major

Meet Robbie, the walking talking robot guide dog

Volcano spewing ash and smoke over a city skyline at sunrise

Sunset video shows Mexico volcano spewing ash

Latin America & Caribbean

BBC Scotland's Judith Ralston says there is also a weather warning as high winds are expected to hit the Western Isles and the north-west

Storm Bert brings rain and high winds on Sunday

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning until 07:00 on Sunday for some parts of Scotland

Science & Environment

With some travel disruption, children and dogs have been enjoying the cold weather

Watch: Scotland under a blanket of snow from Storm Bert

Children and dogs have been enjoying the cold weather despite the freezing conditions.

Science & Environment

People in high-vis jackets walk next to a car submerged in floods on the left of a split screen with a snowy road on the right

Atmospheric river dumps snow and record rain on California

The weather event has multiplied damages from the 'bomb cyclone' seen in the US north-west earlier this week.

Science & Environment

A man walks in front of an uprooted tree, the roots of which tower over him

Fallen trees cause widespread damage after bomb cyclone

Two people died in the storm that hit the West coast of the US and Canada overnight.

Science & Environment

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland

Weather forecast ahead of Storm Ashley

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland.

Science & Environment

The Hunter's supermoon is seen shining brightly between two buildings, as the moon shines through London's skyline on 17 OCtober

Stargazers around the world catch supermoon

The brightness of the moon would allow ancient communities to increase hunting at this time of year - hence the name.

Science & Environment

SpaceX's Super Heavy booster fires out of its exhaust at the bottom of the rocket itself while it lands into the rocket launcher holder that it fired out of, during SpaceX Starship's fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S., October 13, 2024

Watch: Why is the latest SpaceX rocket test a big deal?

The BBC's Pallab Ghosh explores why this world first test is a big deal for space exploration.

Science & Environment

SpaceX Starship booster caught in mid air

Watch astonishing moment Starship booster caught in mid-air 'chopsticks manoeuvre'

It’s the first time the "chopsticks manoeuvre" has been attempted, with previous boosters landing in the ocean.

Science & Environment

Split screen showing weather presenter giving remote update and Hurricane Milton satellite image

Meteorologist becomes emotional giving Hurricane Milton update

The weather system has rapidly intensified into a category five storm with winds of up to 175mph (281km/h).

Science & Environment

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore grin as they float aboard the International Space Station

'Space is my happy place,' says stranded astronaut

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore gave an update from the ISS on their extended stay in space.

Science & Environment

Sarah Gillis emerges from a capsule into dark space

Watch: Key moments from first non-professional spacewalk

Isaacman said the Earth looked like a "perfect world" as he stepped out into space for the first time.

Science & Environment

Bow of Titanic missing section of railing

Video shows Titanic missing large section of railing

The discovery was made during a series of dives by underwater robots this summer.

Science & Environment

A video grab shows the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) flickering over the earth's surface with the moon setting in the background, and parts of the Internation Space Station (ISS) visible in the foreground. The Earth's curvature can be seen as it rotates

Watch: The Northern Lights seen from space

A timelapse captured from the International Space Station shows the Moon setting into streams of aurora.

Science & Environment

Pink and green Northern Lights hang in the sky above a car in a field

Timelapse shows Northern Lights glowing above Wisconsin

The footage reveals the light show that concurred with the Perseid meteor shower earlier this week.

Science & Environment

The Titan Arum plant took 12 years before it successfully flowered in the venue's Glasshouse in 2015.

Rare 'corpse flower' blooms in botanical gardens

The Titan Arum plant produces a stench that has been compared to decaying flesh or smelly socks.

Science & Environment

Column of fire after rocket sets off from launch pad

Moment Ariane-6 rocket blasts into space on first flight

The vehicle set off from a launchpad in French Guiana on a demonstration mission.

Science & Environment

High winds and waves on coast

High winds and heavy rain as Caribbean hit by hurricane

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall with floods in Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

Science & Environment

Humpback whale's tail

Why scientists are using a crossbow to study whales

Researchers use the device to take remote biopsies from wild humpback whales to monitor their health.

Science & Environment

Female duck and chicks

Duckling family march to safety at Hardwick Hall

The annual duck march has been a tradition at Sedgefield’s Hardwick Hall Hotel for the past 24 years.

Science & Environment

Mountain lion in Los Angeles

Video captures new mountain lion spotted in Hollywood

While the giant cats are native to California, it is rare for them to make their way into the city of Los Angeles.

Science & Environment