Logitech F710: the controller that steered the Titan

Experts: It's not the gaming controller that doomed the Titan
Jun 29, 2023
Logitech F710

As news broke on the fate of the Titan submersible, which imploded on Jne 18, 2023, details about its operator and founder began to surface as former passengers on the sub bared incredible lapses in the handling of the deep-sea expedition to the wreckae of the Titanic.

One particular detail was the use of a gaming controller to steer the submersible underwater. The gaming controller was a Logitech F710, a controller that is very similar to a PlayStation controller.

Based on the description on Logitech’s website, the F710 is a “Four-switch D-pad for precise control. Fast 2.4 GHz wireless via USB nano receiver. Dual-motor vibration feedback. Works on PC.”

Logitech F710 Price

Priced at P2,400 at Shopee, the Logitech F710 is a fine piece of equipment, and experts believe it was not the likely cause of the submersible’s implosion. University of Portsmouth professor and deep-sea ecologist Nicolai Roterman also tells ABC News that a game controller could be a sufficient mode of steering something such as the Titan.

“It essentially just needs to go forwards, backward, left, right, up, down, so a game controller could be perfectly sufficient for that,” said Roterman.

"I understand why for people, it's a little astonishing to think that this deep-diving submersible would have something as simple and commonplace as a video game controller," Harvard University professor of marine biology Peter Girguis also told ABC News.

ABC reported that Girguis also did not believe the implosion was caused by the gaming controller.

Titan incident certainly put a spotlight on gaming controllers, albeit disparagingly. But it is important to note that gaming controllers are being used in military applications, medical technology, and space because of their simplicity and ergonomic design. They may not have been made by Logitech, but the principle and design remain the same.

The problem with diving so deep with human passengers is communication. At depths in which the Titan dives, GPS is not possible. Instead, the Titan and its mothership communicate through sound-based text messaging system using water particles as the medium of transmission. This was made possible through an acoustic link with its surface vessel, set up through a transponder or a device for receiving a sonar. A transceiver such as a hydrophone on the surface vessel picks up the sounds or sonar from the submersible.

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The Titan is believed to have experienced a “catastrophic implosion” caused by a weakened hull due to repeated stress from past dives. The Titan uses a carbon fiber hull, which is not recommended for deep-sea expeditions, and has not passed stress tests for such conditions.

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