the Logitech F710 is a solid controller to get if you’re on a tight budget, but perhaps not exactly the type of equipment you want to stake your life on. […] Reviewers on sites like Amazon frequently mention issues with the wireless device’s connection.
The reporter, who followed an expedition of the Titan from the launch ship, wrote that “it seems like this submersible has elements of MacGyver jerry-riggedness.”
Also of interest via this blog is this statement from OceanGate about why their subs aren’t classed.
innovation often falls outside of the existing industry paradigm.
Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation.
If I wanted to can and sell hubris, I know where to source it from now.
- MrWhite ( @MrWhite@kbin.social ) 44•1 year ago
“Move fast and break things” maybe doesn’t apply too well to submarine design.
- ArtieShaw ( @ArtieShaw@kbin.social ) 27•1 year ago
That’s a hard agree. I work in a highly regulated industry and literally every new dude who joins the company says some version of “I don’t see why we can’t just…” and proceeds to describe some moderately to highly illegal shit. Every single one.
It’s wild. I think they honestly believe they’re the first person to think up these completely obvious and simple “solutions” to problems that require some degree of control and complexity.
- fruitywelsh ( @fruitywelsh@lemmy.ml ) 5•1 year ago
If you can’t imagine why someone built the fence then leave it alone until you do.
- blivet ( @blivet@kbin.social ) 18•1 year ago
At my old job the director of my department had a poster up that said “move fast and break things”, but he also demanded 99.9999% uptime.
- Cyzaine ( @Cyzaine@kbin.social ) 11•1 year ago
I relate a bit too much to this… agile when convenient as well.
- remmon ( @remmon@kbin.social ) 7•1 year ago
Especially when the previous smaller version of the same design, with the same materials, had problems with it coming apart a few years back.
- Thrashy ( @Thrashy@beehaw.org ) 8•1 year ago
The good news is, the hubris is already in a can. The bad news is, the can is several thousand feet under the North Atlantic.
- underisk ( @underisk@lemmy.ml ) 38•1 year ago
Some journalists did a story on this thing a while ago and it got lost for about 5 hours. During this time one of the reporters asked if it had some kind of beacon or transponder to locate it in situations like this. Their reply was something along the lines of “oh yeah that’s probably a good idea.” They never added it.
- Fauxreigner ( @Fauxreigner@beehaw.org ) 27•1 year ago
The lack of an emergency transponder is their biggest problem, followed shortly after by the inability to exit without outside help (which is literally what killed the Apollo 1 crew over 50 years ago). Next up, as pointed out in another thread, is that the sub is made of extremely brittle materials because that makes it lighter. Honestly, using off the shelf components for the controls doesn’t worry me nearly as much as those other issues.
- TEKUMS ( @TEKUMS@lemmy.ca ) 14•1 year ago
The more I hear about this the more I’m shocked that this death trap was allowed to operate at all! It seems on the level of that bear suit guy, super dyi energy but with no real use case.
- Very_Bad_Janet ( @Very_Bad_Janet@kbin.social ) 10•1 year ago
You want to be more shocked? The pilot was the CEO. He was willing to risk everyone’s lives and his own on this folly.
- CarbonIceDragon ( @CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social ) 9•1 year ago
There was a video from some reporters that were given a ride I saw someone linked earlier, which included them having to sign a waiver that among other things stated that one acknowledges that the sub is an experimental vessel not certified by any regulatory body. So from the sound of it, there is nobody to regulate these things that would tell them no. I suppose given how rare civilian submarines are, let alone ones that take passengers, there probably hasn’t been much need
- Thndrchld ( @Thndrchld@beehaw.org ) 36•1 year ago
Man. That’s the control you give to your little brother because you don’t want him to get the good control all sticky.
- omnilynx ( @omnilynx@lemm.ee ) 28•1 year ago
I was about to defend this (the US military uses XBox controllers for subs & drones), but then I saw that it was off-brand. No excuse for that.
- Killer_Tree ( @Killer_Tree@beehaw.org ) 19•1 year ago
Same, we use XBox controllers to operate remote cameras for pipeline inspections and they usually survive far longer than is reasonable considering some of the abuse we put them through. That being said, I have no idea about the quality of Logitech, but at the very least they should have had a backup controller available as it would have a small footprint and be a huge failsafe.
2 AA batteries required. (included)
They forgot to change the batteries before sending the sub out 💀
- TubeTalkerX ( @TubeTalkerX@kbin.social ) 5•1 year ago
Can’t rely on the batteries they include, they’re usually cheap with maybe 40% charge.
- CmdrShepard ( @CmdrShepard@lemmy.one ) 5•1 year ago
Or they accidently packed AAA instead.
- bob ( @bob@lemmy.havocperil.uk ) 28•1 year ago
There’s nothing wrong with using a game controller to steer the thing, I think the issue is more the lack of backup or failsafes.
Also, I’m very much a layperson in this field, but would it have not made sense to tether this thing to a ship on the surface? They could have kept in contact with the surface via the tether and had them reel the thing back in if there were problems with its propulsion or steering.
I saw the video of its interior. As someone who has claustrophobia, it’s absolute nightmare fuel. It’s a cylinder about 15 feet long and maybe 6 feet wide that you can’t even stand up in. It’s going to be very unpleasant for 5 people.
- Givesomefucks ( @Givesomefucks@reddthat.com ) 13•1 year ago
Also, there’s no way to open it from the inside, they’re bolted in.
So even if they surfaced, they’ll still run out of air if they’re not found soon.
- androogee (they/she) ( @androogee@midwest.social ) 10•1 year ago
I very much doubt that such a tether would be physically possible at the depths they were diving to.
- jellyfish ( @jellyfish@beehaw.org ) 9•1 year ago
I agree completely with the controller, it doesn’t really matter what is used to steer the ship, just that it has fail-safes.
I don’t think resurfacing is the most important part here. Bathyscaphes are normally designed to jettison iron or steel ballasts attached by electromagnet, which allows them to surface due to their natural buoyancy. It’s impossible to say if that’s how the Titan works though, there isn’t a lot of detail available publicly about its design.
This is a really interesting video to get a take from an experienced submariner that I found really informative - https://youtu.be/4dka29FSZac
- Birdcatname ( @Birdcatname@beehaw.org ) 3•1 year ago
Thanks for sharing that video link. It was very insightful.
- BurningnnTree ( @BurningnnTree@lemmy.one ) 23•1 year ago
It seems like a really bad idea to use a wireless controller instead of a wired one. But I guess it shouldn’t matter as long as they have a backup wired controller in case the wireless one dies.
- Gram ( @Gram@lemmy.one ) 28•1 year ago
I think there’s more to it than that.
When working at industrial factories if I catch a glimpse of something run off a cheap consumer alternative to the standard industry equipment I immediately question everything. If they’re willing to skimp on that item, where else have they skimped?
- Bucket_of_Truth ( @Bucket_of_Truth@kbin.social ) 27•1 year ago
Check out this video where the owner shows off the sub.
He bought parts from Camper World!
- Givesomefucks ( @Givesomefucks@reddthat.com ) 10•1 year ago
They navigated by getting text messages from the ship…
That’s fucking insane when you’re going miles under the sea
- meat_popsicle ( @meat_popsicle@kbin.social ) 10•1 year ago
You take that back! Camper World is a hallmark of quality, I bought all my kidney extraction equipment from there!
- jrubal1462 ( @jrubal1462@kbin.social ) 8•1 year ago
Username checks out and concerns me.
- CmdrShepard ( @CmdrShepard@lemmy.one ) 2•1 year ago
I’m curious what the popsicle tray looks like. Does it fit with the ice trays in that little compartment at the top of the freezer or do you need a custom setup?
- CarbonIceDragon ( @CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social ) 7•1 year ago
Submarines have got to be insanely expensive right? It seems kinda silly to even cheap out on components like this, when their cost of probably going to be a tiny fraction of the cost of the vehicle anyway.
- Mugmoor ( @Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 10•1 year ago
I take it you haven’t heard about what happened to this sub.
- CmdrShepard ( @CmdrShepard@lemmy.one ) 11•1 year ago
Laugh now but when it comes out that the Logitech controller was the only thing to survive the implosion, you’ll look pretty foolish.
- BlueDiamond ( @BlueDiamond@rammy.site ) 2•1 year ago
The new nokia
- CmdrShepard ( @CmdrShepard@lemmy.one ) 5•1 year ago
Hopefully they at least have some spare AA batteries to swap in when it dies in the middle of a match.
- grte ( @grte@lemmy.ca ) 18•1 year ago
I saw a video of this submersible. The view was through a TV. Imagine going to the bottom of the damned ocean to look at the Titanic on a TV.
- BenderFender ( @BenderFender@beehaw.org ) 8•1 year ago
- ironhydroxide ( @ironhydroxide@partizle.com ) 3•1 year ago
Ah, look at the titanic while shitting in an outhouse sized tube with 4 other people… What an experience
- Briongloid ( @briongloid@aussie.zone ) 17•1 year ago
I keep seeing this headline and it’s a bit misleading to imply that its not a functional way to control that type of vehicle, even the American military has been known to use them.
The purpose for the control method was to have something to have a go when it was safe, they had several on hand in the off chance something happened to it.
These controllers are a product of decades of functional advancements, them being intuitive to use doesn’t mean that they are not efficient and functional.
- argv_minus_one ( @argv_minus_one@beehaw.org ) 16•1 year ago
Will the resulting scandal be known as OceanGategate?
- Flaimbot ( @Flaimbot@feddit.de ) 2•1 year ago
Nah, titan-ic
- Very_Bad_Janet ( @Very_Bad_Janet@kbin.social ) 16•1 year ago
For me the worst part is that there is a father and son aboard. And the son is only 19 years old. I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to know that my own son is going to die because of my idea to go on such a risky expedition (even if it was the kid’s idea the father should’ve nixed it).
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/london-tycoon-shahzada-dawood-son-104752797.html
- Flaimbot ( @Flaimbot@feddit.de ) 1•1 year ago
Darwin award
- Gork ( @Gork@beehaw.org ) 14•1 year ago
I’ve used the F710 so that our family can couch co-op in the living room. For a Logitech controller it’s pretty solidly built and is of the era where Logitech peripherals were of good quality (unlike now, rip new G503s). I noticed that the wireless range kinda sucked if it didn’t have direct LOS to the receiver, but it has good rumble feedback and I like the smooth matte black underside material (feels good to the touch).
- Satiric_Weasel ( @Satiric_Weasel@beehaw.org ) 18•1 year ago
Bu would you stake your life, and the lives of others, on it performing well thousands of meters below the ocean?
I used, and loved, a cheap little Logitech keyboard for years before it died on me. Wouldn’t Jerry-rig it into my car and use it as my steering apparatus though.
- CmdrShepard ( @CmdrShepard@lemmy.one ) 13•1 year ago
I wouldn’t even stake my Elden Ring playthrough to a cheap third party controller. I’ve been playing consoles since the early 1990s and there has never been a time where 3rd party performs better than 1st party.
- 🇺🇦 seirim ( @administrator@lemmy.pro ) 13•1 year ago
UK billionaire Hamish Harding, who holds three Guinness World Records and was both in space and in the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench, is one of the people currently on board the Titan.
Yikes, that’ll be some big trouble for them
- Mack7400 ( @Mack7400@kbin.social ) 13•1 year ago
oh no not a billionaire how sad
- CoWizard ( @CoWizard@kbin.social ) 10•1 year ago
Lets hope the company stays afloat after this one. Hopefully they can get more billionaires to sign on
- Fauxreigner ( @Fauxreigner@beehaw.org ) 8•1 year ago
And yet, probably second to the billionaire CEO also being in it.
Yayyyy
- ArtieShaw ( @ArtieShaw@kbin.social ) 13•1 year ago
Holy shit. BBC has a short video that shows the interior of the sub and how it’s controlled. It’s a featureless tube with one button and the wireless controller. I wasn’t expecting the submersible from Life Aquatic, but I wasn’t expecting anything like what’s shown in the video.
I think this is how you make a link? Like in wiki markup
here’s plain text if that link doesn’t work.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65953941- TubeTalkerX ( @TubeTalkerX@kbin.social ) 1•1 year ago
The George Jetson approach.
- RotaryKeyboard ( @RotaryKeyboard@lemmy.ninja ) 12•1 year ago
Water and an X-Box controller. What could possibly go wrong?
- MrWhite ( @MrWhite@kbin.social ) 21•1 year ago
Well, if there’s water inside the sub you probably have more serious problems to deal with.
- LittleKerr ( @LittleKerr@beehaw.org ) 20•1 year ago
To be fair at that depth if there’s water inside the sub you have 0 problems to deal with because you are dead
- ImplyingImplications ( @ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca ) 11•1 year ago
The next version will use a Mad Catz controller
- jargoggles ( @jargoggles@kbin.social ) 5•1 year ago
The sub’s older brother always gets to use the good controller.
- DoucheAsaurus ( @DoucheAsaurus@kbin.social ) 4•1 year ago
Budget cuts smh