DepthX robot submarine passes first test

As Popular Science reports, inventor/spelunker Bill Stone's DepthX robot submarine recently underwent its first successful test in Mexico's La Pilita underwater cave, which Stone hopes is only the first step on the bot's way to exploring Jupiter's ice-covered moon, Europa. After a slight delay with some suspicious border guards, the robot quickly got to work on its initial field test, diving some 300 feet down into the cave system, collecting samples, capturing images, and building a 3D map of the area. As the video after the break shows, the robot is definitely built to impress, with some decidedly sci-fi sounding sound effects adding the perfect final touch. According to Popular Science, DepthX will undergo another field test next month, to be followed by a considerably bigger challenge in May, when it'll dive more than 1,000 feet into the Zacaton, the world's deepest sinkhole.

[Via Slash Gear]

[Matt @ Feb 22nd 2007 8:54PM]

Silly Civilian Submarines!

[Kent @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:52PM]

...Trix are for kids!

[moondy @ Feb 22nd 2007 11:37PM]

looked like he was holding shit lol

[Chris Champion @ Feb 23rd 2007 10:20AM]

LOOK OUT! There's a robot behind you!

[Diver Al @ Feb 24th 2007 7:19AM]

There are many underwater robots out there such as Remus http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0816_NGTremus.html
Something sound FISHY with this one.