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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