1981 – “Deep Rover” Submersible – Graham Hawkes (British/American)

1981 – "Deep Rover" Submersible. See 7:10 into the Video. Top: Dr. Sylvia Earle. Bottom: Graham Hawkes. Extract from Popular Science, Dec 1984. An acrylic-bubble undersea habitat called Deep Rover will take oceanographers and oil-rig technicians to depths of 3,200 feet, where they'll work at sea-level pressure—in near-living-room comfort. The vessel "flies" like an underwater …

1978 – “Mantis” Submersible – Graham Hawkes (British)

1978 – "Mantis" Submersible. Sylvia Earle and Graham Hawkes. Mantis, built by OSEL, U.K., designed by Graham Hawkes is the latest [c1978] development in the tethered submarine field. It is fitted with eight or ten electric thrusters and has two seawater hydraulically operated manipulators. The Mantis was built in 1978 and has been used for …

1981 – Shinkai 2000 Submersible – (Japanese)

Model of the Shinkai 2000 showing a single manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom. "SHINKAI 2000" is the first manned deep submergence research vehicle in Japan, with a maximum operating depth of 2000 m and a weight of 23t. The Vehicle was designed and constructed in Kobe Shipyard and Engine Works, MHI and was delivered to …

1981 – ComRo I – Jerome Hamlin (American)

Comro I with Vacuum Cleaner accessory. Above: ComRo I with the robot pet, Wires. (Text: Circa 1981) A bit more utilitarian than robots serving drinks or selling products is Jerome Hamlin's ComRo I. This robot made its debut in the latest Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog. It operates two ways, by hand-held remote control, or by a …

1981 – The Walking Gyro – John W. Jameson (American)

The Walking Gyro was conceived and built by John Jameson in 1981.  Article Source: Robotics Age, January 1985. THE WALKING GYRO John W Jameson 275 E. O'Keefe #7  Palo Alto, CA 94303 Walking machines generally fall into one of two categories: statically balanced or dynamically balanced. A statically balanced machine maintains stability at every position …