I don’t think that’s particularly bad. Logitech makes reliable input devices. I recall that the US Navy switched to Xbox controllers to control their periscopes on nuclear submarines and saved millions of dollars and found that people understood the controls better.
Sure, but they should still have to be vetted by the Defense Logistics Agency. That includes Quality Assurance overview.
Never mind the games controller. They bolt u in from the outside?! I’d never survive the panic attack
The submarine seems to have only one button for on/off… Did they think they can connect to iTunes there in case of some boot issues?
Hope they downloaded all the music to play offline
Not a big difference since you were planning to be locked in underwater anyway
I had a Logitech F310 which started malfunctioning, where the left stick’s signal was always halfway to the left. Logitech’s quality isn’t what it used to be. I can imagine something like this happening on the submarine. Question is whether they had a replacement and if they even recognized that the gamepad was malfunctioning.
Fun fact: The Logitech Extreme 3D-stick is used in many professional systems, but those are reliable.
I don’t see any issues with this as long as they had several fail-safes in case of hardware malfunction. US military subs us Xbox controllers because it’s what people are comfortable with.
Much has been made of thos controller thing and I think it’s getting overblown. I can not speak authoritatively on the safety of the sub or the whole operation but I am aware that off the shelf video game controllers are used for a lot of things including even military vehicles. It’s a good controlling device for many things. Yeh it probably looks a little worrying when you step in to something being manoeuvered by a videogame controller, it’s not good vibes or optics but, it’s not itself a reliable signifier of anything really.
Yeah, if they had not used an off the shelf part, then people would make fun of the janky controls with “levers and pulleys.” The thing is a simple control scheme that’s well understood and easy to learn. It gives inputs to an onboard computer which interprets pilot intent and steers the vessel (how ever questionable the vessel’s construction might be).
Game controllers are used for all kinds of robots and vessels (often remote controlled) - so the fact they chose a controller does not weird me out at all.
Do I think they could have gotten a better quality controller? Yea, sure. Do I think maybe a wired controller would have been better? My gut says yes, but I don’t know their decision making process and the engineering challenges with running cables.
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I think most people are roasting their choice of game controller. The cheapo Logitech model. Plus if they wanted simple and reliable I would think a wired version would be better, not the wireless model. The military is all the time using them for controlling UAVs and stuff in the field. Nobody really pokes fun because it doesn’t look like the cheap controller you’d hand off to “player 2”.
I’ve seen a video of US Navy using an Xbox controller (arguably for experimental weapon iirc but still). If it just works why overengineer it? I would be more concerned about that hull (scuttlebutt says it was just carbon over titanium frame, not titanium hull overlayed with carbon). However I guess we will have to wait until they find the boat to know the reason for failure.
Exactly. Making the controls yourself isn’t necessarily better, as long as the rudders and engines are engineered properly. Some seperate (emergency) control might be a good idea, in case the Bluetooth fails. Just to get the submarine back to the surface.
The submarine is a one-off experimental one that isn’t certified, hasn’t been used a lot and dives deeper than almost any other submarine. That’s enough alarm bells for me. Whatever they use to control the vessel is irrelevant to me.
And it was probably the best built component of the entire sub
If they are still alive in it what a nightmare they must be enduring right now, with only like 30hrs of oxygen left.
I feel like they likely lost pressure or some catastrophic failure and have been dead.
Or theogotec controller died and they drifted away and haven’t been found.
Either way it seems really bad for those inside.
I couldn’t imagine being in a cramped space 2.5 miles under the sea with 4 other people waiting for that time. Horrific comes to mind but I don’t think there is an adequate word for it.
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One of the guided cave tours I’ve done has a moment where they shut off the lights and encourage everyone to be as quiet as possible. Not being able to see the hand in front of your face is interesting for a few seconds, probably terrifying for hours.
Hope they had a backup
If it works it wo…
never mind.
Should have used a Xbox 360 controller
They could’ve done a 360 and walked away…
Nottheonion?
And to think a billionaire was on board.
Fuck these people. Honestly dont care if they survive or not. Also fuck the titanic its just a fucking boat that cheaped out on lifeboats.
Don’t know why this is news. I have those Logitech controllers still in service and they still work after years. Generic controller input works with everything.
Probably was the most reliable thing on the sun.
