Submersibles Through Time
DeepWorker 2000 (1997)
Affectionately dubbed an "underwater sports car,"
DeepWorker 2000 is compact and relatively lightweight at 1.3
tons. Diver Phil Nuytten (pictured here) designed the craft to give
researchers the ability to move as freely as scuba divers yet to far
greater depths (2,000 feet). DeepWorker 2000 is controlled by
a single pilot who serves as data collector, navigator, and camera
operator. Steering the vessel with foot pedals, the pilot performs
other tasks—such as cutting cables, lifting objects, and
operating scientific instruments—using manipulator arms, which
are jointed like human arms to allow for freer motion.