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What does it take to find the Antikythera Mechanism? Underwater robots, of course!

Meet the chap behind the controls

Take that modem speed with a grain of salt

Lees says variables like water temperature and salinity mean 13Kbps is theoretical rather than something the team experiences. Lees' long experience means he can make educated guesses about problems, and troubleshoot more effectively than a neophyte.

Once SIRIUS surfaces, a waterproof gigabit ethernet port spews out the data accumulated on twin solid-state disks.

Lees says his job feels pretty secure because there just aren't many people that have much experience with AUVs. That the ACFR gets to work in Greece is testament to the short supply of his skills: while the gig came about through a team member's personal connections, the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute backs the Anitkythera expeditions and has no qualms about the ACFR crew running the robots.

Attachment to a University doesn't hurt: funding fluctuates but the pension fund is a winner. And nobody minds when he takes leave at the end of expeditions, which can mean holidays without airfares.

And sometimes work can feel like a holiday. The yacht he'll call home for two weeks during this year's Antikythera hunt belongs to a billionaire Greek industrialist, so the aforementioned chef is a good one. Throw in the chance of making – or at least re-discovering – history, and it's a career Lees sees himself sticking with for some time.

"I fell into robotics," he says. After spending time with him, you get the impression it'll take a mighty machine to drag him out. ®

Bootnote

This article is, we hope, the first in a new series we're calling “I worked on ...”

The idea is that if you worked on something notable, you tell us how you found yourself in that pleasant position. I hope we can slot “I worked on ...” into the rotation alongside The eXpat Files and On-call, our tales of things that go bump in the night.

Don't think you need to have been the prime mover: if you've worked behind the scenes on a project that relied on tech, we want you!

So what are you waiting for? If you worked on something interesting, moved overseas to work or have been called out to do odd things at strange hours, let me know by writing to me at this link. ®

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