a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
1931-3 – "Explorer" Submersible by Simon Lake. The "Explorer" is located at Milford Landing Marina, 37 Helwig St. Milford Connecticut 06460. The "Explorer" was the last boat built by the pioneering submarine designer and builder, Simon Lake. The Explorer was intended strictly for research and salvage and was linked to a mother ship for air …
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 DEEP OCEAN WORK BOAT (DOWB), a two man submersible built by General Motors in the United States by General Motors AC Electronics Division, was initially launched on October l2, 1967. Windowless, it has top and bottom "fish eye" lenses, plus television cameras, for full 360 degree vision. A TV viewing system is mounted on …
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1964 – Alvin Submersible by Harold Froehlich – General Mills/Litton Systems. Image source: Manned Submersibles, Frank Bushby, Pub. 1976. In-depth innovation. The first submarine to explore the deep-sea wreckage of the Titanic was designed and built by General Mills. The “Alvin” submarine – named for famous oceanographer Allyn Vine – became the world’s premiere deep-diving research vessel …
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AN AQUACOPTER, a two-man undersea personnel carrier fitted with claw-handed arms and capable of operating on the ocean floor, is one of the futuristic vehicles featured in the undersea set of the General Motors Futurama ride at the New York World's Fair. In an aquacopter geologists, according to GM designers, would be able to …
1964 – Yomiuri Submersible by Yomiuri Shimbu Newspaper and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Image source: Manned Submersibles, Frank Bushby, 1976. The manipulator has six degrees of freedom. See other early Underwater Robots here.