Here’s the basic problem with the ocean: there are living beings in it that want to eat you.
Which is one reason, we’re sure, that this Kickstarter for an underwater drone — capable of sending HD video of your oceanic explorations back to, say, your iPad — has blown through its original goal of $50,000 and is rapidly pushing toward the $300K mark. Get in now.
The next-best way to explore underwater is scuba diving, which is expensive and requires a significant buy-in in terms of instruction and expense. Not to mention an increased chance of shark encounters. Piloting an underwater drone like the OpenROV Trident (“the underwater drone for everyone”) avoids those obstacles altogether.
The $599 extra-early-bird specials are already accounted for, but the remaining $799 tier is still a worthwhile investment (the planned retail price is $1,119). Its developers say the Trident offers “the versatility and control of an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and the efficiency of an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle).” It can go down as deep as 100 meters, reach speeds of 2 meters per second, and run for up to three hours. And the Trident sends HD video from its camera to your laptop, tablet or “modern mobile devices” via a long-range WiFi signal all the while.
In other words: the marine world is yours for the taking. Armchair pirates, get going.
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