Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Image

Dolphin Inspired Mini-sub 181

What do you get the millionaire in your life who has everything? How about the Seabreacher mini-sub. Described as a dolphin-inspired cross between a jet ski and a submarine, the Seabreacher has a top speed of 45mph above the waves and 20mph below them. The two-man £30,000 craft is 15' long and its design makes it self-righting. Strangely, this doesn't come with a laser package.

*

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Dolphin Inspired Mini-sub

Comments Filter:
  • by Smeagel ( 682550 ) on Thursday September 04, 2008 @08:16AM (#24871977)
    FTFA:

    "It can do 20mph below the water. If you go below snorkel depth you run out of air for the engine and you stay under for 20 seconds before the craft will automatically surface. But with the snorkel system in use you can stay under for longer."

  • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Thursday September 04, 2008 @08:32AM (#24872119) Homepage Journal

    My guess, reading between the lines and looking at the picture, is that the entire vessel is buoyant, and only stays submerged by moving forward and using its control surfaces to counteract its buoyancy. That would make this thing a "submarine" in the same way that a snorkeler is a "marine mammal": perhaps technically defensibly so, but not really what people mean. In any case, if that is true, then when the engine stalls, the vessel will simply float to the surface.

    That's how I'd design something like this.

    Making a "real" submarine takes a lot of engineering expertise. You can cheat any number of ways to make something sort of like a submarine. You can make a "wet" submarine, and avoid having to deal with a pressure hull. Unfortunately, that experience lacks something of the Captain Nemo drawing room atmosphere (namely the "atmospheric" part). Making a bouyant submarine that stays submerged using its control surfaces means you don't worry about ballast systems, and have a system that is intrinsically safer than one that requires pumping air and water around. But it means you can't go to deep, and you can't stop and admire the scenery.

  • Re:Please... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Smivs ( 1197859 ) <smivs@smivsonline.co.uk> on Thursday September 04, 2008 @09:24AM (#24872561) Homepage Journal

    Go to 'Help and Preferences' at the top left of the main page, then where it says 'Your preferences' (right hand side), go to 'Sections'. There you can set what sections you want displayed and what priority you want them to have. The first option (crossed through circle) will remove a section completely. Hope this helps, Smivs.

  • by hoofinasia ( 1234460 ) on Thursday September 04, 2008 @09:26AM (#24872581)
    Because we can all think of how to spend a million, but the rich ones only think of how to make a million.

Kleeneness is next to Godelness.

Working...