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Submarine missing near Titanic used a $30 Logitech gamepad for steering (arstechnica.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[–] 5 points 3 years ago (2 children)

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.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago

    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.

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