(CNN) — The ocean is full of mysteries that lead to legendary lore.
During a recent moonlit harbor excursion, conversation quickly turned to tales of piracy and exploration.
A guide shared stories from the days when tall masts and billowing sails loomed over coastal skylines — and intriguing characters such as Blackbeard and Barbarossa sailed the seas.
We couldn’t help but wonder about the secrets that went down with shipwrecks and lost artifacts scattered across the ocean floor. But these sites are hidden deep beneath the waves where humans typically can’t reach.
However, one explorer is venturing to places no human has gone before.
At first glance, OceanOneK looks a bit like a diver descending through the waters off the coast of France.
Stanford University researchers designed the robot to go underwater to explore sunken planes, ships, submarines and perhaps even lost cities. And this year, the humanoid robot reached a new milestone when it dove half a mile (852 meters) beneath the ocean’s surface.
The robot has hands that can cradle priceless artifacts and bring them to the surface and stereoscopic eyes that capture the world of the deep in full color.
But another feature makes the robot even more special — a touch-based feedback system. This interactivity allows its operators to feel everything they might experience if they were diving themselves — the water’s resistance and touching objects such as vases and oil lamps from an ancient Roman ship.
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