a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
1982 – RCV-150 Remote Controlled Vehicle System by Arthur B. Billet, principal engineer, Hydro Products, Inc., a Tetra Tech Co., wholly owned by Honeywell. Image Source: here. Technician checks out the RCV-150, Hydro Product's largest deep-diving robot vehicle, one of the increasing number of such remote-controlled devices that are rapidly replacing human divers for many …
Read More “1978-80 – RCV-150 ROV – Arthur B. Billet (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 …
Read More “1981 – “Deep Rover” Submersible – Graham Hawkes (British/American)”
The one-atmosphere DeepWorker 2000 submersible allows a pilot to go deeper and spend more time below the surface than traditional diving methods. The sub comes with external manipulators to tackle serious underwater jobs. HydroNewt Manipulators having a standard reach of 5 feet. Submersible Publication number USD461445 S1 Publication type Grant Application number US 29/152,829 Publication …
Read More “1997 – “DeepWorker 2000” Submersible – Phil Nuytten (Canadian)”
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 …
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1989 – Shinkai 6500 Submersible. In Japanese, shinkai means deep sea. Aptly named, the Shinkai 6500 (ã—ã‚“ã‹ã„) is a manned research submersible that can dive up to a depth of 6,500 m. It was completed in 1989 and until 2012 it had the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world. The …