The masterpieces of ocean exploration technology

For many of us, the space outside of Earth is probably the last frontier. As for marine biologists, oceans also contain many mysteries like space.

According to the National Oceanic Research Center (USA), more than half of the Earth's organisms are living in oceans, and these oceans account for 70% of the Earth's area. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people to discover new species here. With the eagerness to discover the deepest mysteries of the ocean, scientists and engineers have invented many special vehicles that can move under the blue water and carry about giving them new scientific data.

Nereus

On January 23, 1960, two ocean explorers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh joined the Trieste dive for the first time to reach the deepest point of the ocean , nearly 10,915 meters from the sea. Since then, they are the only two people who have ever dived into this depth.

Nereus - the name of an unmanned submarine - researched and developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (Massachusetts, USA) capable of diving 11 km deep under the sea, collecting sediments, scientific data and videos High definition and then transfer to the research center on the water through a very thin optical cable line with a diameter of just the diameter of a hair. To withstand the extreme pressure at this depth, Nereus's shell is designed with 2 layers, in the middle of which are filled with hollow porcelain balls. This unmanned submarine is powered by 4,000 lithium ion batteries. The wonders of this 3-ton and 4-meter scuba diving technology will lift the dark screen in an area that contains many secrets and attracts the most curiosity on the ocean floor.

HL Hunley

When it comes to naval submarines, you think of images of massive ships operating on nuclear power , designed and equipped with the most advanced technologies. But the submarine HL Hunley had nothing more than an iron boiler, propelled by a crank and the strength of nine people in the crew. However, the rough structure did not prevent Hunley from establishing a victory as the first submarine to sink the USS Housatonic warship in 1864. Unfortunately, Hunley was also sunk in the aftershock of the explosion. caused the USS Housatonic, and lies under the seabed 136 years before being discovered and salvaged.

Solo-Trec

After years of research, NASA has launched a new oceanic obotine with a longer seafloor operation time due to its ability to operate mainly on the thermal energy of the water environment. .

When floating from the cold water to the higher temperature water, a beeswax-like substance inside its 10 test tubes will melt and expand, creating pressure on the internal storage oil to make the hydraulic engine start up and generate power, replenish energy for rechargeable battery. When moving from warm water to colder waters, beeswax inside the pipe will harden and the robot will operate with this stored energy.

Currently, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has enabled Solo-Trec to successfully test several times at a depth of 500m of seawater and enough energy for this robot to carry basic equipment when operating underwater.

Necker Nymph

Launched last year (2010), this submarine is shaped like a small fighter aircraft that can accommodate three people. Necker Nymph can dive for about two hours and tumble like a dolphin on the ocean floor. From the cockpit, the adventurers can observe the surrounding landscape with a close angle of 360 degrees. According to the Virgin Limited Edition (a company of billionaire Richard Branson - who owns Necker Nymph), the effect of Necker Nymph on the ocean floor is almost zero . It will not harm the reefs, light emitting and low-level engine noise to ensure that it does not break the vulnerable ocean bottom ecological balance.

Virgin Limited Edition also said that in addition to serving the scientific purpose, Necker Nymph will be used for business purposes, conducting ocean-floor tours. To get a ticket on this carbon fiber submarine worth $ 660,000, visitors have to spend $ 25,000. In the future, aspiring designers upgrade Necker Nymph so that it can dive to a depth of about 10,000 km on the ocean floor.

SQuba

Models that seem to be only in these fictional movies were introduced in 2008 at the Geneva show. With the same design as the Lotus Esprit supercar in the popular film ' The Spy Who Loved Me ' about 007 super spy, sQuba of Rinspeed (Switzerland) is 3.79 m long, 1.94 m wide, high 1.12m and weight less than 920 kg. Powered by a lithium-ion electric motor, sQuba is capable of accelerating from 0 to 80 km / h in 7.1 seconds and has a maximum speed of 120 km / h.

The most impressive thing about this concept is not the engine power but the ability to dive , a feature never seen before in cars. sQuba has the ability to move on the water surface as well as at a depth of 10m below the water surface . Thanks to two Seabob rudders, sQuba has the ability to balance when diving and reach speeds of 3 km / h when moving at a depth of 10m; however, it will be inconvenient because you will have to breathe in the usual way with an oxygen tank. If traveling on water, this concept could reach double speed of 6km / h. Although it is less likely to be mass-produced, the stunning beauty of this model has completely conquered those who have ever admired it.

BP remote control probe (ROV)

In last year's oil spill from oil company BP, one of the biggest difficulties the company had to solve was to prevent oil from constantly leaking out of undersea pipes. Thanks to a special dedicated device, this work has been implemented smoothly and extremely efficiently.

Capable of operating at a depth where the pressure can crush a diver, BP's remote control (ROV) equipment plays an important role in BP's operations throughout. 30 years. These machines are fixed to the seabed by wires, and are capable of performing many complicated tasks thanks to hydraulic robot arms. One of ROV's regular duties is to install basic drilling and repair equipment for common incidents. ROV has also been used very effectively in all BP efforts to limit the flow of oil leaking through undersea pipelines last year. In the future, devices such as ROV will be developed and applied more widely in the field of deep and deep exploitation of the oil and gas industry in the world.

DepthX

For DepthX, it is not difficult to explore the deepest waters of the ocean, perhaps because of that, it is also designed to be able to carry out outer space missions. The engine was designed and built by engineer Bill Stone with perfect self-propelled capabilities even in the most complex environments in the water. Packed in that seemingly ordinary orange shell is a huge, powerful computer system. DepthX is powered by lithium battery power and 6 thrusters, in which 2 engines are used for backup. This ' Superman' is also equipped with a range of sensors capable of navigating in the most complex water environments.

Since its introduction, the robot has been plying the exploration of complex underwater cave systems and creating 3D maps of these places thanks to its state-of-the-art ultrasonic positioning technology. me In 2007, DepthX successfully explored the deepest area in the ocean, which is considered a glorious feat of this machine. If the father of DepthX - Bill Stone - is eligible to develop this device, it will be able to perform missions to explore the icy waters of Europa - a moon of Jupiter - serving the item. destination to search for extraterrestrial life. However, fundraising for developing DepthX is very difficult because NASA is shifting its resources to other purposes.