LIKE fish, subs have always used fins and tails to steer through the murky depths. But space technology is offering an alternative that will make them not only more manoeuvrable but also sleeker.
Two marine engineers in the US say that by adopting steering technology used on orbiting satellites, submersibles can ditch their hydroplane fins and rudders – and the associated hydrodynamic drag that eats fuel.
What’s more, the space-age control system will make it easy to achieve one of the toughest underwater manoeuvres: staying put. This might be useful, for instance, for scientists who use submersibles to shoot pictures of deep-sea volcanic vents – also known…
