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Narongsak explained that the divers had fixed rope lines along the passageway and distributed oxygen tanks along their route, allowing them to advance through t
by bo0tzz 8y ago
Narongsak explained that the divers had fixed rope lines along the passageway and distributed oxygen tanks along their route, allowing them to advance through the exceptionally narrow passageway unencumbered by bulky equipment. Other teams worked to pump out floodwater and divert groundwater, he said.
It seems like they have something like this in place already. From what I understand the passageway is quite narrow, which would make it risky to take anything bulky through.
- icebraining 8y agoNow that the route is mapped, I wonder if you could get robots to do the supply trips instead.
- chmod775 8y agoIt can be hard enough for a human to not get stuck somewhere in a cave. There's little chance you'll figure out how to get a robot to do the trip before the whole situation is resolved anyways. In such situations it's best to go with the simplest solution you know will work and people are trained for, instead of trying to get fancy and possibly endanger the whole undertaking (imagine a robot getting stuck somewhere and blocking the way for everyone...).
- icebraining 8y agoBy robot I meant remote controlled, not self-driving. But fair point - adding another obstacle would be tragic, yes.
- JshWright 8y agoThe situational awareness of an ROV operator (who can only get visual feedback (in very low visibility conditions) is far lower than a diver (Who can feel their way along). Way too easy for an ROV (which has to tow along a tether) to get itself tangled somewhere.
- cma 8y agoIs sonar an option at the kind of scales involved?
- JshWright 8y agoI am by no means a subject matter expert, but I'd expect sonar would be next to useless in turbulent water, close to a bunch of highly reflective surfaces. Sonar also doesn't solve the problem of a kilometer long tether getting tangled at some point.
- Harvey-Specter 8y agoVisibility is basically zero, a remote operator wouldn't be able to see anything.
- danilocesar 8y agoYep. I don't know anything about that cave, but it's quite common for cave divers to remove their equipment (and put it in front of them) because a passage is so small that the diver and a gas tank won't fit at the same time. What's the chance of a robot doing the same?