>> reporter: that means that an r.o.v. like this one could lay the first eyes on the wreckage site of mh 370. >> it could tell you about the wreckage f wreckage, and if it came apart, and if parts were metal arms and jaws are controlled by a joy stick. >> open and close the jaws. not a problem at all for an rov to pick it in a basket and recover it back to the vessel. >> reporter: before the data recorders are recovered, the wreckage must be located, a task as daunting as the indian ocean is deep. >> rosa flores joins me now. it's fascinating. how long can these machines work on the ocean floor? >> these particular rovs can be down there for days. they are tethered to a very sophisticated vessel that has a helipad, so these -- the crews are on two 12-hour shifts and