The UK company that designed the modular underwater habitats says they could be used for everything from marine studies and tourism to security.
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00:00Imagine living underwater, not just for a few hours on a dive, but for days, weeks, or even months.
00:08Underwater habitats might sound like science fiction, but they are becoming a reality.
00:14This 12-meter-long and 7.5-meter-wide habitat, called Vanguard, can accommodate three individuals at depths up to 100 meters.
00:23A larger model, Sentinel, can house up to six occupants at depths reaching 200 meters for extended periods, potentially up to 28 days.
00:33So here's the big question. Why do we need to live underwater now?
00:37The oceanic exploration and tech company Deep says there's a gap between humanity and the ocean.
00:43We can see deep into space. We can see near space. We can observe anything in our airspace on land and on the surface of the ocean.
00:52But the one area where we felt there was a large disconnect, not only in that kind of tangible way, but also in a personal way, was between humanity and the ocean.
01:01And we thought that that was an unreasonable gap, an unreasonably large gap.
01:06And we felt that the importance of the ocean was underappreciated.
01:10So who will use these habitats?
01:13The company Deep envisions a wide range of users from marine biologists studying deep-sea ecosystems to global navies monitoring critical undersea infrastructure.
01:23According to Deep, Sentinel is being built using a technique called wire arc additive manufacturing by six 3.5-meter-tall robots.
01:33This method is like a giant 3D printer, but instead of plastic, it uses metal wire to build the structure layer by layer to make sure the habitat can withstand the immense pressure of the deep ocean.
01:45We are manufacturing in a smarter way. Rather than breaking down in conventional manufacturing techniques, we're building up much less wasteful.
01:54The energy efficiency is through the roof, and it allows new novel shapes to be produced.
02:00The applications for large-form additive manufacturing, if you start thinking about rockets, if you start thinking about larger submarines, for example,
02:09this is going to be a critical unlock to make sure that we manufacture things in a smarter way, in a more intelligent way.
02:16Vanguard and Sentinel will be ready to be deployed by 2025 and 2027, respectively.
02:23Deep says discussions are underway to pick deployment locations in Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
02:30What we want to do is have the same impact that SpaceX had on making space sexy once again.
02:36So we're going to create, we believe very strongly, much more opportunity for that cohort of scientists, that cohort of engineers.
02:45What do you think? Could these new technologies revolutionize underwater exploration?