Missing submersible near Titanic wreckage operated by video game controller—reports
The submersible vessel that went missing while diving near the Titanic wreckage was reportedly operated by a video game controller.
According to BBC, Titan, which weighs 23,000 lbs, is made of highly engineered carbon fiber and titanium and is equipped with repurposed everyday items, including video game controllers.
Owned by private marine company OceanGate Expeditions, Titan is designed to allow tourists to visit the Titanic wreckage, which sits 3,800 meters below the surface, BBC reported. It can dive up to 4,000 meters.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said submersibles—unlike a submarine—have limited power reserves and need a separate support vessel that can launch and recover them.
The Washington Post reported that though it's seemingly shocking for people, including journalists, it's normal to use video game controllers in operating modern heavy equipment, including military vehicles.
For instance, Xbox 360 controllers appeared in a 2008 recruitment ad for the British Army and were being used to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles.
In 2011, Xbox 360 controllers were also used to operate explosive ordnance disposal robots in Afghanistan and in 2017, were used to operate the periscopes of the U.S. Navy's USS Colorado submarine.
In 2020, Israel Aerospace Industries implemented Xbox controllers for its Carmel battle tank model.
Younger recruits are "intimately familiar" with the user interface and ergonomics of a video game controller, The Post said, citing military sources. Moreover, Xbox is owned by Microsoft, and its controllers are compatible with many operating systems like Microsoft's Windows.
Titan, however, was being operated by a wireless controller from Logitech, a company specializing in video game products, specifically its Logitech G-F710 according to The Post.
Other controllers, like those from Xbox 360, use wires which lessen the risk of disconnection and radio transmission issues.
CNN International reported that Titan, roughly the size of a minivan and had five people aboard, lost contact with its mother ship about an hour and a quarter into its descent to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean on the morning of June 18. It has about four days of emergency capability.
A search and rescue operation for the 21-foot vessel is ongoing, and the Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Air Force are deploying more aircraft and vessels to assist, according to CNN.
US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said they're “doing everything possible” as part of a “complex search effort” but has so far “not yielded any results."
The reason for Titan going missing remains unclear.
