Comments on Titanic submarine control considerations
Parent
Titanic submarine control considerations
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.
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.
Post
One of the challenges with this particular controller is that it's wireless. Wireless devices need a) a clear enough RF channel to the receiver and b) a suitable power supply, namely batteries. Both of these problems are common enough for most people to be familiar with them. The alternative is providing a wire which offers both power and signalling.
When conducting a risk analysis of such a system, the wireless version is susceptible to both loss of power and loss of signal (eg interference). The wired version will not suffer from these unless the cable is damaged.
In a small sub there's basically no benefit to having wireless (because the controller is only ever going to be used from one location) and it introduces further risks. In a safety-conscious engineering design, it is hard to see why you would choose the wireless controller.
2 comment threads