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If You Happen to Find One of Lost Undersea Robots, Please Call Navy

Posted by Morli on June 11, 2010 at 5:43pm

Comms problems can happen to 100k$ drones too , even Navy has to face such losses. So choose well.

Undersea-Drones.jpg


The Navy lost four submersible unmanned drones over the weekend in the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Va., and is asking the public for help in finding the errant torpedo shaped drones.

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Comments

  • will y. June 13, 2010 at 2:09pm
    "As an adult, you constantly have to choose between work and play. The trick is finding work that feels like play."-some TV show
  • Dr Mike Black June 13, 2010 at 2:09pm
    Amen, Bill & Morli !

    I love what we do, being paid for it is def a bonus,..(ask the wife!)

    For the record i dont get paid to do this....this is choice!

    im butting out now, reasoning just isnt going to work

    good luck finding the Holy Grail!

    Mike.
  • Bill Porter June 13, 2010 at 1:55pm
    My statement is an observation of the people I work with, not just an opinion. When you watch someone stay late, earning overtime that's actually a lower pay rate then regular time, just because a software bug they are trying to find is so elusive; you know they are passionate about there work. I can guarantee you everyone in the unmanned systems branch I work in loves what they do.
  • Admin
    Morli June 13, 2010 at 1:43pm
    Not every one who is passionate about all this gets paid doing it and not every one who gets paid doing this is passionate about either. Some who are passionate but don't get to do it either way. So I am not surprised.

    But the answer still evades me?
  • Bill Porter June 13, 2010 at 1:37pm
    Well, in that case, i think my observation might surprise you.

    Remember, we here are a bunch geeks building robots in our spare time. At the naval research lab, it's a bunch of geeks that get to build robots AND get paid for doing it everyday. I would think better results come from those who are passionate about what they do for a living.
  • Admin
    Morli June 13, 2010 at 1:28pm
    Now, are we bringing in Force majeure or God himself, then nothing stand in its way. But lets keep it among our selves here on earth. Goal and level of satisfaction defines rate of success or failure. SO it is obvious that cost will be exponential curve matching levels of success and desperation. Point is , does the passion factor play any role in this formula or is it all bull s***? I believe there are two level of people , one who work for passion/love of it and others who work for money? Who does it better? In long term and short term?
  • Bill Porter June 13, 2010 at 1:18pm
    I think the relationship is more of an exponential curve. So yes, the ratio is better here on the low end, and worse on the high end, but the cost of better reliability increases faster then the reliability itself.

    Anyway, while you argue whether or not the 100% reliability of a 'robotic system' can be achieved, also consider the reliability of 'mission success'. No matter how over-engineered the system may be, there's also human error and outside influences that can affect the reliability of the mission. There is definitely no amount of money that can guarantee 100% reliable mission success, when you consider the variables outside the system.
  • Admin
    Morli June 13, 2010 at 12:51pm
    Ok guys, so what can we live with as compromise between reliability and prohibitive cost? Is there some sort of formula or some thing which justifies the quality of DIYDrone project we do here verses mega budget projects?
    As a laymen , I feel that the quality that we come up here has better ratio( reliability : cost) than big budget projects by corporations.If so why is it so? Is it passion or lack of incentive or anything else? Hope I am not stepping on any one's toes or start another war of words.If it does , then Mod is free to delete my comment/s. cheers
  • Lew Payne June 13, 2010 at 12:39pm
    Dr. Black - Are chemical reactions not necessary for a drone to work (unless it's rubber-band powered)? Therefore, isn't it premature to dismiss them as not relevant to the discussion of 100% reliability pertaining to drones? As a non-chemical example of engineering of 100% reliability, let's say I need a landing gear strut that will withstand 150 lbs of compression force. One can be engineered, using titanium, that will achieve 100% reliability under the given circumstances. It may, however, be cost prohibitive. On another note, MIL standard film capacitors (an area that I'm familiar with from the old days) can be manufactured that meet the tolerance and failure rate requirements (primarily for defense and aerospace). However, they are expensive to build and laborious to test. Still, they can be produced... and the product you get is guaranteed to meet your tolerance and failure requirements.
  • Dr Mike Black June 13, 2010 at 1:10am
    Lew,

    If you make a comment, that is both vague and non descript, then the 'scope and nature' will never be fully understood by any of us, which deos not preclude the possibillity thay maybe the proposer is either being obtuse or condiscending

    As for validity, you admited that you were refering primarily to chemical reactions, to produce a given result, with a given set of parameters. This conversation was about drones, and not chemistry where the parameters change constantly, even the time you switch a system and all its sub systems on, the day, temp, lat, long, humidity, elevation, whether you used your left or right hand, and many many other factors all play a part in the 'given parameters'....i guess you could then reason all the effects and ask Dr Schrodinger, as his explanation might equate to a reliable answer. Therefore i suggest that my argument is still valid!

    Either way the only 100% reliable way to NOT lose a system is to NOT use it..any other extrapolated answer is naively optimistic, or foolishly arrogant.

    Mind you, we are all students in lifes mortal coil, and willing to learn, so please kindly explain this 100% reliability thoery of yours, with plent of nouns and adjectives so us simpltons can understand how this can be achieved.

    Maybe between us we can solve the ubiquitous questions of non polution energy and world peace?

    For the record i also have been working on gov, UAS projects for a decade just not you gov.

    With the best will in the world, things just go wrong.

    @ Stephen.......couldnt have put it better! :~)

    Mike.
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