British company DEEP has designed a new submersible named Vanguard, described as an “underwater human habitat,” enabling scientists to remain underwater for continuous days of research instead of just a few hours, as is typical in most exploratory missions.
اضافة اعلان
The prototype was unveiled Wednesday in a hangar in Miami, Florida. DEEP promises that this innovation will allow oceanographers and other researchers to stay submerged for at least a week.
Norman Smith, Chief Technology Officer at DEEP and lead engineer for the Vanguard project, told AFP:
"There are regions in the world’s oceans at these depths that remain unexplored, and making them accessible to divers will open entirely new horizons for science."
Currently, Vanguard operates at depths up to 20 meters, reachable by standard diving, but DEEP is developing prototypes capable of reaching 200 meters.
The submersible consists of three sections: a living room, a diving center, and a base. The living room measures 12 meters long and 3.7 meters wide, designed to withstand ocean pressure while accommodating up to four people for eating, sleeping, and working.
The diving center connects to the base on the ocean floor, protecting occupants from waves and storms. Vanguard will also include a floating structure at the surface for compressed air supply, energy, and communication with the outside world.
When DEEP deploys Vanguard off the Florida coast in the coming weeks, the company hopes scientists will use it for long-term underwater environmental projects, such as coral reef restoration.
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat
