Underwater Habitats

[kernals12]

This year, a British company will be trialling an underwater habitat in an old quarry in Wales. It will allow 3 divers to live 1 week underwater, able to go for a swim and then go back indoors without having to sit through hours of decompression. They aim for this to be a prelude to *permanent* human habitation underwater

This will enormously increase the productivity of oceanographers. Only 5% of the ocean floor has been thoroughly mapped and being able to spend more time under the sea will provide a wealth of scientific knowledge that will allow us to tap the seas for food and mineral resources, better understand and possibly control ocean currents, and even pave the way for ordinary people to vacation or even live in the ocean.

I think this is far more interesting than any attempt to colonize space.

[hotdogPi]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

[kernals12]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

[Max Rockatansky]

Is there a LogiTech controller involved? 

[GaryV]

Wow. Breaking news - 40 year old technology!

https://jul.com/

[kalvado]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Shelf_Station_Two

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Wow. Breaking news - 40 year old technology!

https://jul.com/

A few years ago the mayor of Two Harbors, Minnesota, located on Lake Superior had gotten himself into some insane rabbit hole with an alleged mysterious billionaire (likely just a con man), and one of the proposals the mayor was pushing was an underwater hotel.

Unsurprisingly, he was recalled.

[Rothman]

Heh.  In my experience, Two Harbors has a disproportionate share of quirky people.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Heh.  In my experience, Two Harbors has a disproportionate share of quirky people.

After going to college with what felt like about half of their city's population...yes.

[vdeane]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

Hopefully not the same equipment as on the Titan Submersible.

[kalvado]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

Hopefully not the same equipment as on the Titan Submersible.

Biggest problem of all underwater projects is that metal - and many other materials - take tensile strain much better than compression. So a spherical or toryspherical tank holding 200x atmospheric pressure is not a big deal, while a vacuum chamber of same size can be much heavier despite only dealing with 1 atmosphere differential. A tank designed for internal overpressure would collapse under vacuum
Alternative approach is to move the strain from the structure to human body. Which is doable in principle, but far from easy. Exotic breathing mixtures are just the beginning of the story, as far as I understand.
Of course 21st century solution would be remote controlled/autonomous/AI/self-driving one. Radio not working under water is of course a problem, but that's another story.
But some people are just behind the curve, trying to recreate heroic days of 19th - first half 20th century. Wish them luck and good public funded healthcare.

[Max Rockatansky]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

Hopefully not the same equipment as on the Titan Submersible.

So retrofitting a PlayStation controller instead?

[Max Rockatansky]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

Hopefully not the same equipment as on the Titan Submersible.

So retrofitting a PlayStation controller instead?

An NES controller should do. How many functions could it actually need anyways?

I dunno, flying the F-14 in Top Gun was pretty hard on a basic NES controller.  Maybe spend the extra money for an NES Advantage?

[Max Rockatansky]

Are you expecting people to breathe water, or will it look like this?

I'd assume they'd use the same equipment that allows sailors on submarines to breathe

Hopefully not the same equipment as on the Titan Submersible.

So retrofitting a PlayStation controller instead?

An NES controller should do. How many functions could it actually need anyways?

I dunno, flying the F-14 in Top Gun was pretty hard on a basic NES controller.  Maybe spend the extra money for an NES Advantage?

AVGN taught us the Power Glove is the appropriate option for that.

I love the Power Glove!...it's so bad!

Although...I do like that headset he was screaming "fuck" into as a trigger command.

[kernals12]

And just in time for this, Komatsu has developed an electrically powered underwater bulldozer. Underwater dozers been around since the 70s, but I assume that electric power (no need for a snorkel) allows it to theoretically operate at far greater depths.

[Max Rockatansky]

And just in time for this, Komatsu has developed an electrically powered underwater bulldozer. Underwater dozers been around since the 70s, but I assume that electric power (no need for a snorkel) allows it to theoretically operate at far greater depths.

I wouldn't want to be within 500 of it when the battery experiences a short. Free fish for the locals!

Thinking of all those Electric Eels that will get a free charge.

https://www.facebook.com/SafeAndLegalThrills?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr