Newswise — There's a remote-controlled Styrofoam airplane that fits in the palm of your hand and costs just US $30, a radio that can tune into any Internet-capable station in the world for $300, a visor that lets you visualize video-game action in three dimensions for $1000, and--for the engineer who's got everything--a personal submarine for $130,000.
That's a lot of money for a boat, but then again, the C-Quester submersible is the only one of its kind a civilian can buy. Made by Uboat Worx, in Breda, the Netherlands, it's 2.8 meters long, weighs 1030 kilograms, and works off three electric motors drawing on good, old-fashioned, lead-acid batteries. They'll keep you going at 2.5 to 3 nautical miles per hour for as long as 2.5 to 3 hours, and a combined system of directional steering and up-and-down movement through the release of stored gas and ballast will let you descend as far as 50 meters.
Automatic safety controls won't let you go any deeper; in fact, such controls watch over the pilot's shoulder like a lifeguard. What's more, the company won't consent to sell you the sub unless you first pass a rigorous safety course, involving a commitment to dive only when in constant radio communication with a crew waiting at the surface of the water, ready to come to your rescue at any moment. While you're down there you can relax in air-conditioned comfort, look through the huge plastic bubble of a cockpit, and enjoy a 360-degree view of underwater scenery.
That Styrofoam Palm-Z Indoor plane, by contrast, is too slight to brave even the great outdoors, with all its wind and rain, and it couldn't hurt you if it dived into your face from the greatest height it can achieve--as Spectrum's editors can attest from personal experience.
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