Electrical Engineering

The submarine built by OceanGate went missing on 18th June 2023. A lot of online criticism was directed towards the control hardware of the submarine - Logitech F710 controller. Image_alt_text

However, why is this the case? It has 2 dual axis potentiometers and some capacitive sensing buttons. Why is this controller seen as insufficient? Even military equipment seems to be controlled with video game controllers, one reason being that operators are familiar with the controller from playing video games in the past

One thing that comes to mind is water resistance. If the hull became partially flooded, the controller might get water damage and lose functionality. Besides that, what other safety considerations are there? Is the internet knee jerk reaction of 'Oh my god they are controlling a submarine with a gaming console, how unprofessional' just an uninformed outcry, or are they founded in legitimate concerns?

If anyone has maritime engineering experience, please share what are the industry standards and considerations when designing controls for submarines.

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Titanic submarine control considerations

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