Virginia-class submarines costing $1.76 billion each, and starting with the USS Colorado that's expected to be commissioned in November, will be controlled via Xbox controllers to manoeuvre their periscopes.
This after the heavy and clunky joystick and control panel, that Lockheed Martin developed to control these submarines periscopes, were found to be likely to cost around $38,000 each.
It was also found to take hours to train a sailor to use it. The Xbox controllers on the other hand, not only did the job just as well, but sailors were able to work out controls on their own within a few minutes, and they cost around just $30 each.
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| X Box Controller - The Lo-tech Solution. |
This after the heavy and clunky joystick and control panel, that Lockheed Martin developed to control these submarines periscopes, were found to be likely to cost around $38,000 each.
It was also found to take hours to train a sailor to use it. The Xbox controllers on the other hand, not only did the job just as well, but sailors were able to work out controls on their own within a few minutes, and they cost around just $30 each.
This reminded me of the old and untrue story of NASA developing a pen that would write upside down for the early space program. This was rumoured to have cost $25,000 in the early 1960's. The Soviets cosmonauts solved the same problem by ..... using a pencil at around 10cents cost. Although story a false urban myth, the story is so good that it fails to die.
In fact both U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts initially used lead pencils on space flights, such as all the Mercury and Gemini space flights, and all Russian space flights prior to 1968. But were found not to be ideal: pencil tips can flake and break off, and having such objects floating around space capsules in near-zero gravity posed a potential harm to astronauts and equipment. The Soviets moved to grease pencils which were less likely to break off into small pieces.
However the solution which NASA turned to, the “space pen” that was used by astronauts after 1968, was actually developed independently without being commissioned by NASA. The invention was the brainchild of Paul C. Fisher, of the Fisher Pen Co. and cost NASA nothing in development costs. It even cost NASA virtually nothing when it was approved for purchase at standard retail prices, and can be bought even today (the Fisher AG7 space pen), which is how Mr Fisher more than recouped his costs.
The mundane truth can be just as interesting as the urban myth ....
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| Space Pencils Used By Everyone .... |
In fact both U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts initially used lead pencils on space flights, such as all the Mercury and Gemini space flights, and all Russian space flights prior to 1968. But were found not to be ideal: pencil tips can flake and break off, and having such objects floating around space capsules in near-zero gravity posed a potential harm to astronauts and equipment. The Soviets moved to grease pencils which were less likely to break off into small pieces.
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| Fisher Space Pen .... Still Sold Today |
However the solution which NASA turned to, the “space pen” that was used by astronauts after 1968, was actually developed independently without being commissioned by NASA. The invention was the brainchild of Paul C. Fisher, of the Fisher Pen Co. and cost NASA nothing in development costs. It even cost NASA virtually nothing when it was approved for purchase at standard retail prices, and can be bought even today (the Fisher AG7 space pen), which is how Mr Fisher more than recouped his costs.
The mundane truth can be just as interesting as the urban myth ....
Most things can now be found in the commerce at little or no cost compared to making it oneself. Well done submarine manufacturer for spotting this and shame on Lockheed Martin for trying to re-invent the wheel.
ReplyDeleteIn all fairness, Lockheed Martin, were probably only following orders. But then they all say that don't they?
DeleteThe drone in Lockheed Martin who received the orders should have seen that a good, reliable, intuitive joystick already existed in the market and at worse should have copied it, not soldier on with their Falkland's War model just because they owned it.
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