If only we could achieve what you say Vance. I think the most we will get to is to be similar to the aviation industry where people have a number of 2, 4 and six seater aircraft that they use for recreation and sight seeing. However there are many people who are terrified of going in a small vessel under the water. More so than in small aircraft. I was amazed when I had the Comsub exhibited at a boatshow that so many guys passed the comment that “You wouldn’t catch me in that thing”. You need good visibility like flying and some instrument rated pilots for the murky waters. Graham Hawkes “flying” sub is one to inspire the populace but impossible to get out of without the freeboard in a small chop and poor bottom viewing. Bus tours are impersonal, I think that something similar to Nuytco’s new 5 seater or Emile and Carstens new creations are the answer. ROV’s are like artificial insemination or X-box. Requires a lot of skill, fun to do but where is the excitement. We need subs that are independent of surface boats and with good nav systems. Commercially very difficult to get that cost down and to make it pay on a tourism basis. We need the innovative low cost answers that will come from the David Bartsch’s of the world. I am a believer in the twin propulsion systems of diesel / electric to enable battery recharging and surface range. However you cannot get all that on a trailer easily. Enough rambling but I am sure that day will come when we see the increase in small subs. Hugh
You are probably right, sadly. The new crop of engineering and science students are flooded with junk and noise about the use of digital and remote systems, with a deep paucity of realtime, hands-on science. We have entered an information gathering phase that deals in terabytes of data to be used for statistical analysis. All good stuff, undeniably. The sad part is that all too many of these young minds have come to believe that remote data gathering and computer driven number crunching is more valuable than the adventure of going, doing and seeing.
At some stage, the sea will call them back. But they will have to learn it all over again. Bean counters are key players in the ocean business, but that doesn't mean people-in-the-sea is passe. Sliding an AUV over the stern and having it do its job and return successfully is a big challenge. But it ain't nearly the fun that going and doing it yourself. When the salinity and temperature and ph and current and turbidity measurements are taken, and the mapping is done, then maybe it will be time to reenter the fray, so to speak.
THEN we'll need the fleets of small subs. Or exo-suits, or whatever.
Vance
Who would go in the fleets of manned submersible vehicles that map the ocean floor or take copious temperature and salinity measurements? Surface ships are readily available, but is the ocean surface covered with them? I suspect this prize will encourage the development of robotics that can complete a lot of general mapping and measurements - maybe beefed up ocean gliders.
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] x prize goes ocean
From: vbra676539@aol.com
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:41:31 -0500
How about items #1 and #2? Improvement of technology to further ocean exploration. How about readily available, certifiable, reasonably priced and simple manned submersible vehicles.....lots of them.....fleets of them. It's time to get man back in the sea. Not robots.
X price foundation ask for ideas for an ocean related x-price
I have some nice ideas. And you??
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