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Personal Submarine for 845k 188
joeldg writes "CNN is carrying a story on the gemini three-person submersible.
'Forget the yacht, mansion and private jet. This is Gemini, the family submarine described by inventor Robert Leeds as the world's first underwater sports car.' However, the submarine only goes about five knots, so speed is not its primary focus. It can handle three people for three days at depths of up to 50 meters. Not quite a James Bond sub-car, but cool nonetheless. The official site has lots of pictures."
20,000 leagues (Score:1, Funny)
Re:20,000 leagues (Score:3, Funny)
Re:20,000 leagues (Score:1)
Of course, the only real way to do that is with a nuclear submarine, but that is a different story.
Re:20,000 leagues (Score:2, Interesting)
To Quote:
This is the first thing that came to my mind. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This is the first thing that came to my mind. (Score:2)
You could... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:You could... (Score:1, Funny)
There's /. for ya (Score:3, Insightful)
"The official site [subeo.com] had lots of pictures." [subeo.com]
Re:There's /. for ya (Score:2)
Re:There's /. for ya (Score:2)
Re:There's /. for ya (Score:2)
Who would buy a car without seeing the inside? duh...
I would, and I have. Well, in my case, it was a pickup truck I bought a few years ago. I looked under the hood, found that it was a Slant-6 driving a Chrysler A-833 four-speed manual OD gearbox, saw that the build tag showed it had a 3.23 limited slip differential, and I bought it without hearing the engine run let alone taking it for a test drive.
(Oil was clean but not fresh, so the engine was at least reasonably healthy. Slant-6 and A-833 are arguabl
Re:There's /. for ya (Score:2)
The carpets aren't for decoration, they help dampen engine and outside noises.
Of course they do.
But what's wrong with engine noise? Again, it's a CAR, not a living room.
Forget the obvious impracticality of having carpets where you put muddy boots - especially in SUVs which claim to be off-road vehicles. Maybe if we didn't have carpets in cars, the increased noise would drown out cellphones, nullifying the hazards of drivers with telephones planted to their ears.
Improve the safety of your car: remove t
beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:2, Informative)
if the badbin has some spare change these would be brilliant for attacking the US warships parked off kuwait
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:2)
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:1)
A lot of good radar did for the USS Cole [state.gov].
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:2)
there are many reasons why a small surface craft might be heading towards you. There is only one reason why a small submersible might be headed towards you.
you don't have much time to react when a surface craft is heading towards you at 40 knots. A 5 knot submersible gives you *plenty* of time.
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:3, Interesting)
I was a sonar operator in the navy.
Radar, of course, doesn't work underwater, as you probably know. Sonar does, but it's really difficult to pick up a craft this small on active sonar (Not enough "surface" to give a good echo). You *could* maybe detect it passively, but I suspect this sub is very quiet, being electrical and all.
Re:beware the terrorists booohhooo! (Score:2)
At 4 knots I don't envision this thing making much noise at ALL, with a decent set of props and some quiet electric motors.
the world's first underwater sports car (Score:1)
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:2)
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:1)
Ahh, but it might be pretty difficult getting hold of one, as there are only 7 in the world, and I'm pretty sure noone's selling at the moment.
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:2)
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure that that car wasn't banned, but that they just stopped racing it, because they knew that if they didn't that it would be banned. Either way, it won it's only race.
As for there being only 7, there may only be 7 left, because I've seen quite a few mangled w
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:2)
'mr bean' atkinson was one(iirc/afaik he crashed it, don't know if it totaled, probably) known owner.
Re:the world's first underwater sports car (Score:2)
3 people for 3 days? (Score:2)
So, the seats are cramped, but you can stay in them for 3 days.. Do they recline at all, or do I have to spend all 3 days sitting upright with my head sticking out into the ocean? And what does it smell like in there after 3 people have been down for 3 days? Is there a bathroom? Seems pretty impractical to me,
Re:3 people for 3 days? (Score:2)
There are no toys on the planet that cost more than half a million dollars that do not in some way, shape, form or fashion involve getting the buyer laid - it may take imagination, but people with that
And for the important Specs (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And for the important Specs (Score:2)
or: how much explosives can it hold? and is it cool with allah?
Re:And for the important Specs (Score:2)
You get 20 kilos, thats a cool million right there...
Beautiful lakes in Iran? (Score:2)
Iunno about you, but if I lived in the desert I'd want a flirkin' SAIL BARGE!
Re:Beautiful lakes in Iran? (Score:1)
Usefulness (Score:4, Insightful)
Okay enough negativity. Perhaps this is just the first step in really exploiting the bottom of the ocean to its full potential, since the earth's surface is 70% water (I think) steps that allow development under the water will eventually help to reduce the overcrowding.That unfortunately is a long way off but once the rich and famous have their toys its only a matter of time until the rest of us get a crack at them. A good example of this is when cars first came out. Now I can get one for AU$500 (although it might be a hunk of junk).
My point I guess is that even though I may see it as a waste of money now, hopefully in the future it will have real benefits.
Horseless Carraiges are for the rich (Score:3, Insightful)
For that matter, the cost of a cross USA trip on a stagecoach in the 1800's would have been equivalent to $4000 in today's money.
This is how these things always start. The difference is that nobody lives under water today, so it is not just a matter of creating a vehicle, you have to give people a reason to go there.
Re:Usefulness (Score:2)
N.
Re:Usefulness (Score:2)
No problem for the long haul, though
Re:Usefulness (Score:2)
Re:Usefulness (Score:2)
Actually, this is a toy for the poor. The rich shop here [ussubmarines.com]
This Is All Wrong (Score:5, Informative)
* Life support systems consist of oxygen flask and metering valve sufficient to keep 2 persons in the craft for 30 hours
* The submersible is a two-man craft
* It has a maximum speed of approximately 4 knots
Re:This Is All Wrong (Score:2, Informative)
Re:This Is All Wrong (Score:1)
CNN is talking about the commercial unit which is not available yet (that will hold 3 people for 3 days and go at 5 knots).
The site is mostly about the currently created unit (which is not to be sold) which holds 2 people for 30 hours and go at 4 knots.
Re:This Is All Wrong (Score:1)
Life support systems consist of oxygen flasks intern a land external and metering valve sufficient to keep 2 persons in the craft for 72 hours.
so that detail could be right.
Re:This Is All Wrong (Score:1)
Re:This Is All Wrong (Score:2)
* IT HAS NO HEAD!!!
Deep Flight (Score:2)
The Deep Flight Aviator Kicks this Sub's Ass (Score:1, Interesting)
I got a chance to pilot the Aviator last March in the Bahamas, and ride in it for 2 hours while exploring a wreck for a BBC documentary. The Aviator can hit between 8-12 knots, and is rated to a depth of 1500 feet -- 10 time
Re:The Deep Flight Aviator Kicks this Sub's Ass (Score:2)
Terrorism this, terrorism that... (Score:5, Insightful)
"We did have interest from the Spanish police for underwater terrorism detection searching ships' hulls," said Leeds' colleague Frank Barker. He declined to give further details.
Why is it that every news story days has to mention a potential terrorist threat? How long is this going to go on? I'm sick to death of hearing about it. I don't remember seeing repeated references to industrial accidents in news stories two years after the Bhopal atrocity.
Does anyone know of a plugin for Mozilla that will let me filter out any paragraphs containing the "T-word"?
Re:Terrorism this, terrorism that... (Score:2)
Re:Terrorism this, terrorism that... (Score:1)
Re:Terrorism this, terrorism that... (Score:2, Insightful)
There is a very good reason news outlets (CNN in particular, which has US Intelligence ops working as "interns" with the newsmakers) focus on things like Terrorism and not the Bhopal disaster.
News agencies, in fact all corporate America, are interested in making money. This means supporting themselves and their affiliated companies (affiliated can mean anything, from a friend of the CEO, to the US Army in the case o
Re:Terrorism this, terrorism that... (Score:2)
replace:
<P>*terroris*</P>
with
"" (nothing)
Voila!
Drug runners (Score:1)
It has been reported that some large drug cartels have been trying to build their own submarines.
Re:Drug runners (Score:2)
Hey, they wouldn't be building subs if there didn't exist an incredible demand for illicit narcotics in this country.
Re:Drug runners (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Drug runners (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Drug runners (Score:2)
Anyway if drug runners wanted a sub they could get a real one. But subs have trouble. Unless you can convince the russians to sell you their latest tech then you are in a noisy vehicle that the US have had decades to learn to track. And track well since the price of not tracking a russian sub well is let
Re:Drug runners (Score:2)
Sonar picks up big things in the water, this would look just like any number of animals or natural detritus to sonar (if it even registered it) and since it's electric probably wouldn't show up with passive sonar either.
Load up one pilot and fill the rest with contraband, that's a pretty good way to get drugs across the border without worrying about loosing the product.
Wait a minute (Score:1)
Oh slashdot, haven't we learned anything?
Not the first time.... (Score:2)
See above link for a history of personal underwatercraft...my personal favorite was the VASH from 1996--I remember drooling over that Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and dreaming of diving and flying in a machine like that.....
Re: (Score:2)
Re:I know we all remeber (Score:2)
They had those in X-Com 2 (Terror from the Deep), right? That was one weird game...
You thought the SEGWAY was useless and expensive? (Score:1)
I'm struggling to picture this... (Score:1)
Let's hope that.... (Score:1)
Re:Let's hope that.... (Score:1)
I know no one cares, but I'm now making posts from my
brand new Treo 600. Smokin'!
This is hardly even the best of whats out there (Score:5, Informative)
Re:This is hardly even the best of whats out there (Score:1)
phoenix sub just a proposal... not real? (Score:2)
Hmm... just some words ("design proposal" no less) and bad drawings... are you sure the Phoenix sub isn't as real as some of the more flaky proposals for the X-Prize? Surely any undergrad engineering student or even graphic designer could come up with this and put up a website....? I saw drawing like this for Disney's 20,000 leagues beneath the sea but I'm pretty sure Nemo didn't exist either...
Re:Phoenix site (Score:2)
Unfortunately, it's not likely that anyone rich enough to be able to afford to buy one is going to have the kind of romance in their soul that would be necessary for them to tell US Subs to do the interior in brass, walnut, and rich fabrics to create a modern-day Nautilus (Captain Nemo's, not the US Navy's, for those of you who were never exposed to 20,000 L
I don't care about their submarine (Score:2)
To bad for all the Karma Clowns mirroring the site.
Re:I don't care about their submarine (Score:2)
Screw that. (Score:2)
Re:Screw that. (Score:1, Interesting)
The thing can hover untethered now, although they still require a tether for insurance. you can read here [moller.com] about how their reworking some of the design concepts while they wait for new engines to be built, and see some hover test pictures here [moller.com]
Re:Screw that. (Score:1)
i don't know about this (Score:1)
cheers, potor
bah.. that's old news (Score:3, Interesting)
The article can be found here [space-age-bachelor.com]
What's more is that the submarine was much cheaper.. he only got it for 50 grand!
Quote.. "A Submarine. I don't know any models, but I just heard from the place where I can get ammunition for my machine gun -- they're selling off Russian submarines, and apparently they're really cheap. Someone said they were like 50 grand, but I don't know how accurate that is. I'd love it. I reckon I'll get one. It'll probably be a lot of hassle to do it, and you'll probably have to hire like a crew to work it for you. I don't know if you could properly operate it on your own -- maybe you could, I don't know. I don't know anything about submarines. I just know I'd like to have one. It would be wicked for parties, and stuff like that."
Though the article says he was "considering" purchasing it.. he has purchased it..
The article/interview was written sometime in 1999..
If you're going to spend $845,000 (Score:1, Redundant)
http://www.ussubs.com/Luxury_folder/lux.phoenix
sub hunt (Score:2)
Re:sub hunt (Score:2)
Ten differences between a sub and a Porsche (Score:5, Funny)
2. The Porsche comes in nicer colors.
3. Both the Porsche and the sub have convertible options you only want to try in _really_ nice weather.
4. The sub handles better in those deep dark puddles.
5. The Porsche gets you dates. The sub gets you exotic fish for dinner.
6. With the sub you can join the "mile deep" club.
7. The sub looks much more impressive outside your home. But the Porsche is more practical for shopping trips.
8. The Porsche is cheaper.
9. No-one is going to burst into song when they see your Porsche.
10. The Porsche won't let you start a successful smuggling venture.
Re:Ten differences between a sub and a Porsche (Score:2)
This home built sub goes to 3,000 ft. (Score:1)
Playthings of the ... (Score:2, Redundant)
Makes the sub mentioned in the article look like a rusted-out go cart!
- Ben
Another fairly ambitious project (Score:2, Offtopic)
http://www.euronaut.com/
They are marine engineers, as it seems, so they know what they're doing...
We built... (Score:2)
oi (Score:1)
Not to be pedantic, but (Score:2)
3 Person Sub? That's nothing... (Score:1)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
It's important not to shop for submarines impulsively. Shop around, and be sure to get the features you need.
Re:3 Person Sub? That's nothing... (Score:2)
Also: This other sub on eBay [ebay.com]
Enjoy.
I'm not getting in that thing ... (Score:2)
... if the control computer runs Windows.
Does it come with ... (Score:3, Funny)
... a shark fin attachment?
in the mindset of Bill Gates (Score:2)
Re:Why is it Yellow? (Score:2)
Anyway, the color goes well with the song ya know?
Re:surviving unprecedented evile's assault? (Score:1)
Re:Better subs here... (Score:1)
Here's my favorite:
"The Phoenix 1000: The ultimate personal transportation device, 65 meters (213 ft.) in length with 470 square meters (5000 sq. ft.) of interior space on 4 levels." This thing is pretty close to the Nautilus... enough range to make transantlic crossings (at least when traveling on the surface in "yacht-mode" at 16 knots (maximum=18 knots). Huge windows, travels underwater, on battery power, for 6 hours at 10 knots, 50 hours at 5 knots, 140 hours at 2.5 knots, etc
Re:How Deep? (Score:1)
Re:lead acid batteries in a million dollar device? (Score:2)
I vote for sodium-sulfur. Then their sub design would be really smokin'.