1961 – Submaray Submersible – Doug Privitt (American)

 1961 – Submaray Submersible by Doug Privitt started being built in 1961 and was launched in 1962. Privitt inside Submaray operating the simple rod manipulator arm. It appears to slide inside a ball-and-socket joint, as can be seen in the video clip. Although a simple setup, this arm is quite efficient and versatile. The …

1959 – SP-350 Denise Diving Saucer – Jacques-Yves Cousteau et al (French)

 The SP-350 Denise, famous as the "Diving saucer" (Soucoupe plongeante), is a small submarine designed to hold two people, and is capable of exploring depths of up to 400 metres (1,300 ft). It was invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and engineer Jean Mollard at the French Centre for Undersea Research. It was built in the …

1940 – Diving Bell Arm With Grippers – Friedrich Gall (German)

1940 – Diving Bell Arm With Grippers by Friedrich Gall Working arm with grippers for diving chambers Publication number    DE738760 C Publication date    Aug 31, 1943 Filing date    Feb 6, 1940 Inventor    Friedrich Gall Patent Citations (4), Referenced by (3), Classifications (3) External Links: DPMA, Espacenet See other related Friedrich Gall inventions here and here. …

1913 – Manipulator Arm For Diving Bell – Charles Petit (French)

1913 – Manipulator Arm For Diving Bell by Charles Petit. Moving means for the Arbeitsgeraet of diving equipment Publication number    DE321916 C Publication date    Jun 15, 1920 Filing date    Mar 5, 1913 Applicant    Charles Petit See German patent here. See other early Underwater Robots here.