Navy loses 4 very expensive underwater robots. If found, call us.

[madsci1016]

Well, since it's hitting all the other robot sites, I would feel better bringing it here before anyone else does.



http://defensetech.org/2010/06/08/if-you-find-one-of-our-undersea-robots-please-call-us-navy/#ixzz0qas6VmcO

For those who don't know, I work for the Navy, with these kind of underwater robots. (ours are yellow, not black) While I wasn't in VA for this exercise(got pulled off at the last second), my coworkers are. Thankfully these were not our robots, but they were operating in the same area.

Now before you all jump on and start giving your own brilliant ideas for how not to lose a robot, (like many others are doing around the web) realize that we government payed engineers have already thought long and hard on failsafe systems. It's kind of an insult to hear people just start spinning ideas on what 'we should have done' to make the system any more 'less lose-able'. Here is what IS implemented on these robots:

They are positively buoyant, so if all else crashes, they float to the surface. They have acoustic modems, that respond to location pings and allow the operator to hunt them down by range requests. The little orange antenna on top is a wifi antenna, so if your in a few clicks and it's on the surface, you can get gps coordinates. There's also a strobe light, and a satellite phone to call home.

[SmAsH]

The link doesn't work for me :S
Sorry about the loss. lol.

[little-c]

how about a trawler net cutting device? Id bet a fair ammount thats where some of them are.

[Admin]

Losing AUVs is fairly common, but four all on the same day by the same group? Ouch!

As with all AUVs and UAVs, programmers probably entered the wrong GPS coordinates and told them to go to China . . .

Actually, I've seen simulators that check for that kind of mistake before you upload code . . . but alas human error is so powerful sometimes . . .

[madsci1016]

There are obviosly failsafes to stop it from going to china. Lossing uuvs is somewhat common, but so is recovering them later.  But this time I doubt they will wash up anywhere.

The four were part of a group of 10 all working together on the same mission.

[TrickyNekro]

There are obviosly failsafes to stop it from going to china. Lossing uuvs is somewhat common, but so is recovering them later.  But this time I doubt they will wash up anywhere.

The four were part of a group of 10 all working together on the same mission.

LOL?!?! Are you telling me, that no suggested vector or last coordinates exist???

And don't your UAVs have emergency merging and distress calling???
You are no hobbyists playing around... you 're god darn navy for a reason...

I guess you Americans need some Russian logic.... from time to time....
Make it simple enough to work... Don't make it relay only on one super computer.... 

[Admin]

Actually, now that I remember, there should have been an 'end mission timeout' that will be default return the subs back to the surface.

The fact that it happened to so many at the same time suggests it wasn't a hardware failure or strange fluke (ie collision with a whale) . . . definitely programmer or operator error

I guess you Americans need some Russian logic.... from time to time....
Make it simple enough to work... Don't make it relay only on one super computer....

You mean like this?
http://www.mackenzieinstitute.com/2000/2000_10_Military_Submarine.html

'Simple' only works for mature proven technologies, not for state-of-the-art 'what if we did it this way?' type of technologies

[TrickyNekro]

Kursk was another thing... :-p
I didn't read the article but I think I get the point... Yeah... I know Russians went through atrocities and I'm not for them...
Also from what I have sporadically heard their vehicles weren't so "user friendly".... Still they operated... and were feared enough...

As far as I know for life critical applications there are always 2 extra systems... For example...
An arm used for surgery, would measure position, by optical encoders as primal (Really gotta love HP for their optical encoders!!!!), but would also have other systems like trimmer pots etc....
I can't accept that navy would have such fail safes...

Let's take F-22 as a state of the art technology plane... What was "SO" ground braking... really?
The dielectrics and the gauss cages for adsorbing the radio waves... These have been around for years...
Still only now we have the processing power to give them whatever shape we want and be still very effective...

The thrust vectoring... ok... that's a joke... Russians used it first.... and then American's started to play with projects like
the F-15 Active and so on...

And so many many more....

The ridiculous fact is all technology advances started from Europe... If we "undo" let's say the Nazi part...
Most technology for both super powers, America and Russia came from German scientists...
If it wasn't for brainstorming both super powers would be years back...

This is a big big thread and I really don't like were it's going... but I am so sure that America mostly relays on
propaganda and other's countries insufficiency to counter openly America as I am for me consuming oxygen...

So, for me... a non American it's a little bit funny to hear that you can't find your UAVs...
As funny as the fact you can't find 2Pac's murderers... who was murdered on The Strip...

And yes a system can relay on may subsystems... that's what I meant with Russian way... many but simple working subsystems....  Cause Russians' systems are know to be simple but efficient

Amen...

[Razor Concepts]

Is there a reward? otherwise I'll just eBay them 

[z.s.tar.gz]

If I kept one in my shed would anyone find out?
I seriously want to go looking now.

[Razor Concepts]

If I kept one in my shed would anyone find out?
I seriously want to go looking now.

i bet it will connect to your wifi and scream at the navy "HERES MY COORDINATES COME RESCUE ME" 

[Admin]

If I kept one in my shed would anyone find out?
I seriously want to go looking now.

i bet it will connect to your wifi and scream at the navy "HERES MY COORDINATES COME RESCUE ME" 

reminds me of this:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/dumdum/locator.asp

[madsci1016]

Well, here we go. More wise guys thinking they know everything about UUVs.

LOL?!?! Are you telling me, that no suggested vector or last coordinates exist???

Yes, but when something is dropped in the water, it has a tendency to float away.

And don't your UAVs have emergency merging and distress calling???

Did you bother reading my first post. I said they do.

You are no hobbyists playing around... you 're god darn navy for a reason...

Thanks for the insult. Appreciate it.

I guess you Americans need some Russian logic.... from time to time....
Make it simple enough to work... Don't make it relay only on one super computer.... 

Simple?  Ooo that's what we should do. No way the engineers that built this would have thought that would have been a good idea.

Do you mean like so simple that if all else fails, the robot naturally floats to the surface and satellite calls home? Wait, I said that it does already.

We have a pretty good idea of what did happen to them; something no safety system on the robot could have prevented.

[SmAsH]

We have a pretty good idea of what did happen to them; something no safety system on the robot could have prevented.

Are you allowed to say what you think happened to them?
I'm really curious about it

[madsci1016]

Not sure if I can say. Everything i have said so far can be verified by online public documents, and that's what i use to determine if it's ok to say or not.

But no news source i have found says what we think most likely happened to them, so I'm going to hold back till they do.

I am very nervous about this kind of stuff, as my job is too awesome to lose over something silly like saying too much online.

eEDIT: here's another news source.

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/navy-loses-four-underwater-unmanned-vehicles-norfolk

[TrickyNekro]

Na man... If there is an online source... there is no way it's gonna harm you....
Everything that goes online, goes public too ;-)

[Webbot]

Don't worry about your youngsters - they will learn a lot about themselves.

They will have a little drink, have a little smoke, party hard, cause a bit of trouble but once they run out of money they will get back in touch or come home.

Parental advice: don't be angry if they've got long hair, haven't washed for a while and like loud music. Even UAVs need to find their own boundaries.

Or more controversial: At least BP know where there robots are! So why don't you follow your presidential advice and 'keep your boot on the throat' .....

Just joking!!

[TrickyNekro]

You are no hobbyists playing around... you 're god darn navy for a reason...

Thanks for the insult. Appreciate it.

Didn't mean to insult you... nothing personal really... just having a talk...
But what I said is more than true...

It's not your fault, I don't "get mad over some human errors"... these happen all the time...
I'm more mad at discovery channel propaganda....

These guys there give US military super human strength... while it's only propaganda for getting more men into the battlefields.... That's something I don't like... And war...War never changes....

Again sorry if it sounded personal, sometimes I over do it... But it's not that I don't feel bad about it afterwards....
And that's why I said I don't like where this whole may be going...

Amen, pal

[z.s.tar.gz]

Is there reward money involved? I can't read the news links as the internet here is ultraslow.

[madsci1016]

There is reward money, but don't bother booking the flight to VA. I REALLY doubt anything will turn up, long hair or not.

@webbot: lol, love it. Although I am a few years away from thinking about having my own little ones, and you are making me nervous.
I'm curious, is that story from what your own kids did, or what your did to your parents? (or both)

[Admin]

Not sure if I can say. Everything i have said so far can be verified by online public documents, and that's what i use to determine if it's ok to say or not.

oh geez, they gained sentience and ran away from their human masters!

[ishka]

Not sure if I can say. Everything i have said so far can be verified by online public documents, and that's what i use to determine if it's ok to say or not.

oh geez, they gained sentience and ran away from their human masters!

"Run Sarah, run !"

Or is it " get out of water !" in this case ? 

[huevon]

Is it possible all 4 to be destroyed by underwater mines or something? If they are still "alive" they should be floating on surface by now... or still be operating? For how long they can be operated till run out of batery power?

[madsci1016]

Lol, there's no sea mines of the coast of Virgina.

As for the other questions, I can't answer you exactly, but i can tell you that in all other cases of rouge UUVs they would had been washed up on a beach by now.

[z.s.tar.gz]

What if they evolved and crawled up on land?
You could have some dinobots on your hands!

[SmAsH]

May god have mercy...

[madsci1016]

lol, did i mention they have lasers on them?

[SmAsH]

lol, did i mention they have lasers on them?

How powerful are we talking?

[madsci1016]

How powerful are we talking?

Sharks with lazers on their heads - Austin Powers