Marine

Cyclops has its eye on the deep blue sea

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The Cyclops research/commercial manned submersible
An underside view of the Cyclops descending
Thanks to its pivoting seats, the Cyclops could descend nose-first
The first version of the Cyclops will have a maximum dive depth of 3,000 meters (9,800 ft)
The Cyclops will carry five crew members
The Cyclops approaching its submerged launch/recovery vessel
The Cyclops returning to its submerged launch/recovery vessel, which is lowered and retrieved by a ship at the surface
The submersible will feature a 180-degree borosilicate glass observation dome
The Cyclops research/commercial manned submersible
A back view of the Cyclops
A side view of the Cyclops
A top view of the Cyclops
The Cyclops aboard its launch/recovery vessel
The Cyclops and its launch/recovery vessel are lowered into the water
Because it won’t require a tether and could be launched from a wide variety of surface vessel types, the Cyclops may in some cases even be cheaper to use than an ROV
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In three years, if you happen to be 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) beneath the surface of the ocean, keep an eye out for the Cyclops. No, not the hairy giant, but the 5-passenger submersible. Once it’s commercially available in 2016, it should be “the only privately owned deep-water manned submersible available for contracts.” As for why it’s called the Cyclops, just check out its one-big-eye-like 180-degree borosilicate glass observation dome.

The Cyclops is currently being developed by submersible manufacturer OceanGate Inc., with technology and design research being done through a partnership with Boeing Research & Technology, and the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. Yesterday it was announced that the sub’s initial hull design has been completed – so don’t go expecting to see anything more than renderings of the finished product just yet.

That 7-inch-thick hull will be made of carbon fiber, in which individual strips of pre-impregnated fiber are individually placed within the carbon fiber matrix. Developed by Boeing, this technique is said to offer finer production control than the more traditional filament winding process, and should allow the Cyclops to withstand the 4,300 psi (300 bar) of water pressure it will encounter at its maximum diving depth – the earlier-mentioned 3,000 meters.

The use of carbon fiber should also help keep its weight down.

Unlike remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs), the human-crewed Cyclops won’t require any data or power cables linking it to the surface – its onboard life support systems should allow for dive times of up to eight hours.

The Cyclops returning to its submerged launch/recovery vessel, which is lowered and retrieved by a ship at the surface

It will also utilize a patented cradle-like launch, retrieval and transport system, which should reportedly allow it to be operated at lower costs than other manned submersibles. Additionally, because it won’t require a tether and could be launched from a wide variety of surface vessel types, it may in some cases even be cheaper to use than an ROV.

One of the more interesting features of the currently-proposed design is the pivoting seats. These would allow crew members to sit upright (relative to the Earth’s horizon), even if the sub were descending nose-first. Once it reached depth and turned to cruise horizontally, the seats would simply swing around to remain upright. OceanGate has produced an animation of the process, which can be seen below.

Finally, if 3,000 meters just isn’t deep enough for you, plans also call for a 6,000-meter (19,685-ft)-rated version. It should be completed by the end of 2016.

Source: OceanGate

View gallery - 14 images
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5 comments
Nathaneal Blemings
I wanna ride in one, they need more of these availible to the public. That is companies that sell rides to the bottom of the ocean. At the moment there is only a few and they are super expensive, atleast the safe ones.
BigGoofyGuy
I think this is way cool. They should make many of them so that many places could have them as a way to explores oceans and seas for anyone who wants to pay to ride.
notarichman
I see what looks like a rear, bottom viewing port, but don't see how passengers can look out of it...especially while in the diving position.
i see what looks like a forward facing camera/camcorder, but none covering the rest of the directions.
I see two grappling arms and a platform of some nature under the vehicle. are those for taking samples and storing them?
The diving operator and one passenger will have a good view, but what about the other passengers?
How about installing an air hose to the lifting platform that automatically hooks up in case of an air shortage?
Atul Malhotra
I totally agree Nathan, deep sea 'tourism' could be the next big thing !
Jon Gabrielson
What the cost for this thing?