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U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

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Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#141

Post by emiliobumachar »

jack1243star wrote: post #89
celdon25 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you have the issue of EMP hardening. Not sure if that is a problem in submarines. But elsewhere, you have a serious defensive flaw if an EMP attack can disable military hardware.

Is there an EMP capable torpedo though? They seem useless in water. Other than the nuclear ones of course...

I doubt an EMP torpedo would exist targeting submarines underwater. Water is just crazy good at dampening electromagnetic waves. And if you can score a direct hit, the EMP device's weight in extra explosives is cheaper and more destructive.

Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#142

Post by unit91 »

pmuk wrote: post #43
jedc wrote: post #17

Former submariner here. My thoughts echo those of a ex-submariner group I'm a part of -- it makes sense across the board. It's 1) a cost saving measure, 2) WAY easier to get replacements, and 3) WAAAYY easier to train new people to use it safely and efficiently.

THe UK military has also been flying drones for about 10 years with Xbox controllers... https://www.pyrosoft.co.uk/blog/2007/11/04/army-fly-uav-spy-...

US too, though not the expensive, well-known ones. I flew an experimental drone for the USAF a few years back and we used PS3 controllers.

Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#144

Post by 0xbear »

matt4077 wrote: post #40
0xbear wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have only very vague understanding of how our government works. First, they will not contract this to some startup or anything, but instead the company that does the periscope will do it. Then there are reams of regulations to follow, an everything the contractor does will be the most expensive option available because they charge percentage of “cost”, and the higher the cost, the more money they make. I would be…

Military procurement is indeed not the most perfect process ever invented, but it's not quite the insane caricature this and other comments make it out to be. The costs-plus accounting scheme is meant to save money. It can just as well be described as "the manufacturer charges the costs plus a fixed (single-digit) percentage of costs. This limits the contractor's margins to the agreed-upon percentage." And of course…

Explain then why our f35 program costs $1.5 trillion and counting.

Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#145

Post by unit91 »

masklinn wrote: post #77
SophieHR wrote: post #69

It's kinda funny and pragmatic at the same time. Soon tanks and planes will be controlled this way too. It will be much easier to train all the gamers for war in reality.

On the other hand, it further "gamifies" war instruments and removes military personnel from their actions.

Former PS3-controller-controlled weapon operator here. I don't think this is accurate at all, for two reasons:

1. The more technology involved, the more audio/video/telemetry is recorded and stored. If we shot somebody, there was ALWAYS a legal review afterward. Your average grunt doesn't face anywhere near that level of scrutiny (not saying they aren't scrutinized, just not to that extent).

2. Despite common preconceptions about military members, exaggerated by Hollywood and not a few knuckleheads, the majority of us are regular people. We have families and a dog, and we don't like to kill people. We do it because we believe it's our duty to keep you safe. Years later, we still cry about it. It's a heavy burden. The X-Box controller doesn't change that.

Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#147

Post by kbutler »

LibertyBeta wrote: post #134
cstross wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd have two big reservations about this. 1. The Virginia class was first commissioned in 2004, with a 33 year design life. The XBox 360 was first shown in public in 2005, with a design life of ...? Yup, it's consumer electronics, with a design life of much less than 33 years. Even though there are on the order of 80-100M of them in the wild, by and by XBox 360s and replacement parts will be getting scarce. (If you t…

Good points, but I think we can work around them. 1) As others have said xinput is pervasive as this point. If the Xbox 360 controller becomes hard to source then I'm sure a replacement xinput derived device will still be around. If not, it's a well documented standard and new devices can be made. 2) This leans on my first response. Xinput is the winner here, not the Xbox controller. If after testing they can't harde…

Once you harden it sufficiently, do you have any cost savings?

> video game controls are so much fun for a reason

I'm really more of a keyboard guy. Sometimes a mouse.

Re: U.S. Navy to use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes aboard submarines

#150

Post by KGIII »

drharby wrote: post #149

Did development engineering in the air force. Worked with xbox360 drivers as a PoC for bomb defusal bots. The troops loved the ergonomics, and the product was cheap. iirc i think irobot does use these for our bomb bots

And many youth will already be trained on the controller.

I've seen this subject come up before. It makes sense. I believe it was even considered for UAV controls.

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