Swindon & Wiltshire News
DEEP ready to launch ‘homes’ under the sea
A Bristol-based engineering company that wants to ‘Make Humans Aquatic’ says it is ready to launch its first subsea human habitat system.
DEEP Research Labs says the pilot system – called Project Vanguard – is scheduled to be in the water by the end of 2027. Thirty engineers worked on the project.
The system will enable researchers and scientists to learn more about the ocean by living, working, and exploring undersea at up to 200 metres for up to 28 days at a time.
Vanguard is the precursor to the larger Sentinel system – a three-person crew, expedition class habitat, designed primarily for shorter-term missions such as training, reconnaissance, and recovery.
Vanguard is the first underwater human habitat Deep is building and testing at Deep Campus, an 80-metre deep former limestone quarry in the Forest of Dean.
It will be integral for testing and taking learnings that can be applied to building Sentinel.
“Vanguard will give us vital operational and build experience that can be applied to Sentinel,” said Kristen Tertoole, CEO of DEEP.
“It’s one of the crucial steps in the progress curve towards having a permanent human presence under the ocean, which is hugely exciting for underwater exploration and technology.”
Timmy Gambin, professor of maritime archaeology at the University of Malta, said: “A small transportable habitat for divers to operate safely from, providing extended dive times on sites with limited accessibility, will significantly accelerate the evolution of underwater archaeology.”
Ed O’Brien, dive operations manager at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, added: “DEEP’s three-person habitat is a paradigm shift for scientific diving operations.
“The safety, efficiency and connectional ocean/human experience is profound. Scientists will flourish in their discipline in this immersive environment. The future is moving into the now with DEEP’s subsea efforts.”
