A submarine vessel owned by OceanGate and carrying five individuals vanished in the Atlantic Ocean early Sunday morning. The purpose of the trip was to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, but the submarine disappeared just an hour and forty-five minutes into the journey.
Concerns have been raised regarding the utilization of a 10-year-old gaming controller for steering as teams search for the submarine. In a segment on CBS News Sunday Morning featuring OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Rush can be seen holding up a game controller and stating, “We run the whole thing, with this game controller.” A photo of the vessel posted by David Pogue of CBS News depicts a wireless setup with the controller lying nearby.
The Logitech F710 game controller is believed to be used for steering the Titanic expedition submarine. Released in 2010, this wireless gamepad for PCs uses 2.4 GHz communication to connect to a USB receiver. Although it may appear outdated by today’s standards, it has been in production for 13 years and typically sells for around Rs 5,000. Following the news of the controller being used on the Titan, shares of Logitech have fallen.
The utilization of game controllers for controlling various equipment is not entirely uncommon, as evidenced by their use by the US Navy and The Boring Company. The Navy employs them to manage submarine periscopes and photonic masts, while The Boring Company uses an Xbox One controller to steer its drilling machines. Therefore, the use of controllers in submarines is not entirely unprecedented. However, the focus here is on the safety standards followed by the company during the expedition.
Before embarking on the expedition, participants must sign a release stating that the experimental vessel has not been certified by any regulatory body and carries the potential for physical harm, emotional distress, or even death.
Reportedly, a seat on the Titan submersible costs $250,000 (approximately Rs 2,05,00,500) for a trip.
This is not the first instance of the Titan submarine going missing. Last summer, when reporter Pogue was on the surface, the submersible was lost for a few hours. However, communication with the surface was maintained during Pogue’s trip. Unfortunately, in the current situation, all contact with the sub has been lost.
It remains unknown whether the 10-year-old game controller is responsible for the submarine’s disappearance, and the exact cause of the incident is still unknown. The current focus is on locating the submarine and crew, followed by an investigation into the incident’s cause.