Category Archives: Newsworthy

Your Smartphone Can Work as a 3D Scanner Now

Barring professional photographers, almost all possessing smartphones capture images of everyday objects using the onboard camera. Additionally, most smartphones today come with cameras of respectable resolution, with recent ones reaching 21 MP. Now, you can use the camera on your mobile to scan objects to reproduce a 3D image.

Researchers from the Computer Vision and Geometry Group at ETH Zurich have created an application that can transform your smartphone into a portable digital scanner. The 3D mobile technology created by the researchers allows users to scan objects by snapping pictures on the fly. Scanning in outdoor environments is also possible for modeling scenes or arbitrary objects.

Very soon, using the 3D mobile technology, people will be able to use their ordinary mobiles to capture visual 3D representations of scenes and objects as realistically and easily as they take photographs today. Although alternate solutions for 3D scanning do exist, they require hardware dedicate to 3D scanning. With the 3D mobile technology, scanning and generating a three dimensional image becomes as easy as taking pictures. This is of great benefit to the DIY and hobbyist crowd, especially for those without design or engineering degrees.

The user only has to move his phone all around the object of interest. Instead of a conventional photo, the mobile will generate a 3D model of the object on its screen. If any part is missing from the 3D image, the user can add that by [pointing the camera and cover the missing parts. The important part is all the calculations for generating the 3D image happens within the phone, so the results of the calculation are immediate. According to the researchers, apart from being of immense use in daily life, this technology will be of use in the fields of commerce and cultural heritage as well.

Businesses and industries are also showing great interest in the technology, as this has the potential to reshape the 3D scanning and printing industry. As this relatively low-cost duplicating method takes shape, companies begin to grapple with the implications. According to some experts, this method of object reproduction, needing no knowledge of computer design software, will break down the existing barriers in large sections of industry – probably sparking the next industrial revolution.

There is another aspect to this innovative technology. According to professor Pollefeys of Computer Vision and Cultural Heritage, this new 3D mobile technology can also modify the way cultural assets are digitized and preserved at present. This will make the assets accessible to all and will unlock the potential for reuse of the assets. Archaeologists and other cultural heritage professionals can use this technology to combine computer vision, 3D modeling, and virtual reality.

Museums could make exact replicas and precisely simulated objects that visitors could handle or touch without causing damage to the real artifact. A new market could open up with the demand for 3D portraiture or personal statuettes, which people could generate on their own or order. It would be possible to enhance, morph or tweak the models using a computer, opening up space for creative play or editing.

What are UltraHDTV, HDR and 4K TV?

The TV industry is presently going through a turmoil with fresh format battles brewing over HDR or High Dynamic Range technology, which experts deem essential for making a 4K TV look even better. As usual, there are issues related to intellectual property rights. First, let us understand what 4K is about and why should people care about 4K and HDR.

Recently, the UHD Alliance has announced a set of new specifications for Ultra High Definition Premium along with a logo for products and services that comply with the specifications. The UHD Alliance is an industry group consisting of 35 member companies. The group has recommended enhanced performance metrics related to resolution, black levels, high dynamic range, wide color gamut, and peak luminance.

With the new specifications, there is ample clarity about the definition of Ultra High Definition or Premium UHD, which the panel makers were after. According to Myra Moore, the president of Digital Tech Consulting, with the clarity in the definition of Premium Ultra HD, consumers can differentiate and upgrade their TVs to what they think is necessary.

For example, while HDR is about expanding the range between the darkest and the brightest images a TV display can produce, Ultra High Definition Premium goes even further. Premium UHD specifies high dynamic range, content master and display, and distribution, along with color palette, color bit depth and image resolution. The Alliance has adopted HDR 10 from SMPTE as a baseline for HDR.

So far, four companies have developed their own technology and intellectual property rights for achieving the HDR format – the BBC, Philips, Technicolor, and Dolby. Now, the battle is about which technology will finally be added to Ultra High Definition TV. For the past one year, proposals from the four companies are under review.

Over the years, both consumers and filmmakers have been showing tepid interest in 4KTV, usually defined as TV with resolution higher than 3840×2160 pixels. For example, Walt Disney Studios and Hollywood feel that merely adding more pixels will do little to change the marketplace over to a new format. In their opinion, more contrast and dynamic range is necessary to make consumers take to the new format.

With 4K UHD, although there are more pixels, you are unable to see the extra pixels unless very close to the screen. Added resolution does not mean much unless there is more contrast as well.

At present, the contention is about maintaining backward compatibility with SDR or Standard Dynamic Range TV displays. What this means is no matter what TV consumers use, they will be able to see content. With backward compatibility, as proposed by Philips and Technicolor, distributors will be sending only one signal to their consumers. That signal will contain an SDR signal layer and other parameters to reconstruct the HDR from the SDR video stream. As the unique signal is part of the MPEG stream, no change is necessary for the transmission infrastructure.

Dolby is offering three different packages with various characteristics, one of which uses less bandwidth and could be less expensive to implement. The UHD Alliance is yet to complete an official HDR format, which means the battle over HDR is hardly over.

Digital Temperature Sensor with High Accuracy

Whether it is the body temperature, room temperature or the average temperature of the day, we take important decisions based on the various temperatures we measure and record. Although the mercury-based thermometer is still the most commonly used instrument, industrial temperature measurement has largely shifted to electronic sensors, data logging and digital displays. Accuracy in measurement is highly desirable and sensor manufacturers are constantly improving on their products offering better quality.

Sensirion is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of temperature and humidity sensors. Their new digital temperature sensor STS3x offers high accuracy. The tiny eight-pin DFN package of the STS3x is 0.9 mm high and measures only 2.5 x 2.5 mm across. Sensirion has based the STS3x on the same chip as their existing SHT3x humidity sensor. Because of its tiny size and wide range of supply voltage – 2.4 to 5.5 V – users can integrate the STS3x in a large variety of applications. The sensor is specifically suitable for battery-operated devices, as it consumes very low power – typically 6.6µW at 3.3V and one measurement per second. Nevertheless, it delivers outstanding performance, as it is remarkably accurate at +/-0.3°C, over an extensive temperature range spanning -40°C to +90°C.

Sensirion has based their temperature sensor STS3x on the industry-proven CMOSense technology. Compared to its predecessors, the STS3x has more intelligence, improved accuracy, and greater reliability. Added to this is the very fast start-up and response times of the STS3x, as well as enhanced functionality of high-speed signal processing and communication speeds of up to 1 MHz via two distinctive and user selectable I2C addresses.

Users of STS3x get a temperature sensor that comes pre-calibrated and offers a linearized, digital output, which is compensated for supply voltage instabilities. Sensirion has qualified the STS3x based on JESD 47, according to a dedicated automotive qualification plan certified by AEC Q100. Users have the choice of using the sensor as a watchdog, as it offers an alert option with definable set temperature points – strongly optimizing the overall power consumption. However demanding your data logger may be, and however complicated the temperature compensation of your application, the STS3x is an ideal solution.

Based on its high accuracy, the main target applications of the STS3x are the temperature calibrations in automotive components and body temperature measurement in wearable devices. Other applications that also benefit include a multitude of HVAC devices. This is because of the sensor’s highly accurate temperature data, resulting in precision, power savings, and reliability.

The automotive market benefits from the STS3x sensor solution because of its outstanding quality and low prices – automotive manufacturers can meet stringent emission standards of their industry. The STS3x offers new benchmarks in comfort, safety, and energy consumption. For instance, when combined with humidity sensors, the cabin air inside the vehicle can remain optimally regulated, using climate-controlled seats or air-conditioning. Moreover, by determining the dew point, the air-conditioning of the vehicle may be controlled to eliminate fogging of the windshields, thus ensuring a clear view of the road ahead.

Overall, the STS3x temperature sensors fulfill many stringent requirements of several applications considering cost-effectiveness, performance, and quality.

Cayenne on a Raspberry Pi

If you are building projects for IoT or the Internet of Things, a single board computer such as the Raspberry Pi, also known as the RBPi, can be a great asset. Moreover, with Cayenne installed on the RBPi, you have a drag-n-drop IoT project builder that the developers of the Cayenne software, myDevices, claims is the first in the world.

Therefore, now it is easy to connect your RBPi to a mobile or online dashboard. On the other side, you have a breadboard ready to connect relays, lights, and motion sensors. Of course, you have always had the freedom to write an application, read multiple pages of documentation, and take time to learn new programming languages, write pages of code, and then debug them to make it all work together. Alternatively, you can reduce the time you spend preparing for your project, because Cayenne helps to get your project up and running in a fraction of the time, and you can build your automation projects in minutes.

With Cayenne, myDevices makes all this possible, because they created Cayenne for makers and developers eager to build and prototype amazing IoT projects with their RBPi, as quickly as possible. Users get a free Cayenne account, which allows them to create unlimited number of projects. There is also a full-fledged IoT maker support capability that allows remote control of sensors, actuators, motors, and GPIO boards.

On the free account, you can also store unlimited amount of data that the hardware components collect including triggers and alerts, providing all the tools necessary for automation. That allows you to set up custom dashboards and threshold alerts capable of highlighting your projects with fully customizable drag-n-drop widgets.

According to myDevices, Cayenne is the first of its kind of builder software that empowers developers to use its drag-n-drop features for creating quick IoT projects and host their connected device projects. Cayenne allows remote control of hardware, displays sensor data, store data, analyze it, and do several other useful things.

In the Cayenne platform, users can find several major components, such as:

The main Application – useful for setting up and controlling IoT projects with drag-n-drop widgets.
The Online Dashboard – set this up through a browser to control your IoT projects.
The Cloud – useful for storing devices, user and sensor data, actions, triggers, and alerts. Additionally, it is also responsible for data processing and analysis.
The Agent – useful for communicating with the server, hardware, and agent for the implementation of outgoing and incoming alerts, triggers, actions, and commands
Whenever you press a button from the online dashboard or the Cayenne app on your mobile, the command travels to the Cayenne Cloud for processing and travelling to your hardware. The same process takes place in the reverse direction as well. Cayenne offers users plenty of features.

You can connect to your IoT through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or mobile apps. It is possible to discover and setup your RBPi on a network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Dashboards are customizable and widgets are drag-n-drop. It is possible to remotely access your RBPi, shut it down, or reboot it. Users can add sensors, actuators, and control extensions connected to the RBPi, and many more.

What if Your Life was Speech Activated?

Although we mostly use speech when interacting with other human beings, interacting with machines using speech is still a distant dream. So far, human-to-machine communication technology has been reserved for science fiction movies. However, many are working to provide groundwork for transforming that vision to reality. For instance, speech recognition software, such as Apple’s Siri for the iPhone 4s, is now quite popular. Yet, there are several challenges to address and many kinks to be smoothened out related to voice authentication and voice-activated commands.

VocalZoom, a startup based in Israel, utilizes military technology and develops proprietary optical sensors to map out vibrations emanating from people when they speak. Their HMC or human-to-machine sensor is coupled to an acoustic microphone voice signal. They translate the output to a machine-readable sound signal. The system delivers a speech-recognition technology that is highly accurate and unparalleled in the market today.

VocalZoom approached the problem of speech recognition in an entirely different way. They came across a military technology commonly used for eavesdropping – a laser microphone to sense vibrations on windows. Designers at VocalZoom surmised that if windows vibrate when people speak, surely other things did too. Their research led them to facial skin vibrations because of voice. They created a special low-cost sensor small enough to measure facial vibrations similar to the way microphones did. Their speech recognition system uses microphones, audio processors and the special sensor.

The special sensor is actually an interferometer to measure distance and velocity. Therefore, it can be used as a microphone for measuring vibrations of audiobe used for 3D imaging, proximity sensing, biometric authentication, tapping detection and accurate heart-rate detection. The multifunction sensor has a very wide dynamic range useful for implementation in many applications, for instance, to measure vibrations in engines, industrial printers, or turbines.

A typical sensor for measuring distance and velocity, such as time-of-flight based sensors, use an emitter and a detector. However, designers at VocalZoom use a laser for both purposes. That means their interferometer is of a super low-cost design that practically has no optical component. However, they had to cope with noise issues and it was necessary to develop noise reduction methods when using the sensor with speech recognition systems.

The noise reduction methods used by VocalZoom often use optical sensors to improve speech recognition. They have reached a stage where in an environment with a lot of background noise, they can reduce the results of the speech recognition or voice authentication to a very low error rate.

In actual practice, the laser is directed at the face of the person talking. It measures vibrations that are in the order of tens and hundreds of nanometers, not usually picked up by normal sensors. As the laser measurements are so precise, other surrounding noise does not interfere with the micro-measurements of the skin, which are then converted into clear audio.

Very soon, you will be able to use the optical laser technology of VocalZoom together with Siri or Google Voice and other voice-recognition applications for a wholly different experience.

Smart Amplifiers to Give More Bass

As our smartphones get smaller and thinner, one of the consequences is the loss of bass or low frequency sounds we are accustomed to hearing naturally. The miniaturization of all components, including the loudspeaker, leads to voice or audio reproduction from the gadget seem unnatural. This is mainly because handset manufacturers have been slow to improve the audio performance, except in high-end handsets, leading to a lack of low-frequency audio.

However, the situation is changing now. A technology called smart amplifier is available to extract the maximum performance from the micro-speaker of a cell phone. Where the coupling between a traditional amplifier and its speaker is unidirectional, a smart amplifier senses the loudspeaker’s operation while playing. It also applies advanced algorithms to drive the loudspeaker to its maximum without hurting your ears.

To discuss the operation of a smart amplifier, it is important to understand that a loudspeaker is a vital component in the audio reproduction chain. If the design of the loudspeaker is not up to the mark, no amount of amplification or audio processing will overcome its shortcomings. However, if you even have a reasonable loudspeaker to start with, a smart amplifier can turbo charge it and push it to its limits.

Speakers contain a frame, voice coil, magnet, and diaphragm. Electrical current from an amplifier coursing through the voice coil magnetizes it, making it react with and move against the fixed magnet of the speaker. The movement causes the membrane or diaphragm attached to the coil to also move back and forth, and emanate audible sound waves. The movement of the diaphragm is called excursion, and it has its limits – audible distortions can occur when an amplifier exceeds the limits of this excursion – leading to failure in extreme cases.

Traditionally, amplifiers have used simple equalization networks at their outputs to limit this excursion. Because there can be large varieties of speakers, and different operating conditions including extreme audio signals, the filters are generally conservative. They actually limit the capability of the amplifier to push the speaker to its true limit. Additionally, current through the voice coil generates heat to some extent, and this factor limits the extent to which an amplifier can drive the speaker.

With micro-speakers commonly used in smartphones, smart amplifiers use feedback when driving them. A common method with Class-D amplifiers is to add IV or current and voltage sense to the DAC or digital to analog converter that provides a feed-forward solution. With IV-sense, the system receives feedback about the speaker’s voice coil temperature, its loading, and variations from unit to unit. The algorithm in the system uses this information to extract the maximum SPL or sound pressure level from the speaker without damaging it.

However, before a smart amplifier can drive a loudspeaker safely, a few steps are necessary. These include thermal characterization, excursion characterization, and SPL measurements for the speaker. Usually, data plots are necessary of excursions versus frequency and safe operating area limits.

Smart amplifiers such as the TAS2555 from Texas Instruments have a DSP or digital signal processor integrated. That reduces the time required for software development tremendously.

Trombe Wall to Heat and Cool Buildings Using Renewable Energy

Researchers at Lund University, Sweden have devised a technique for using an adaptation of the nineteenth century Trombe wall for heating and cooling modern buildings. The modified structure is capable of reducing carbon emissions associated with the heating and cooling processes, as well. Residents of Saint Catherine in Egypt are trying out the invention.

Trombe wall basics

A Trombe wall was a popular method used in the nineteenth century to keep buildings cool during the day and warm at night. The construction was simple, consisting of a very thick wall painted black on the outside surface and with a glass pane in front of it. The black surface, being a good absorber allowed the wall to absorb heat from the sun’s rays falling on it. The glass surface, being a bad radiator trapped the heat for some time. However, as the temperature dropped during the night, the heat was released slowly, keeping the building warm for several hours. Homes and buildings in the northern hemisphere had a south facing wall, while those in the southern hemisphere, a north-facing one.

An additional advantage of this structure is that the glass sheet causes the release of infrared rays. The warmth produced by these rays is more agreeable than the heat generated by traditional convection methods.

Marwa Dabaieh, an architectural scientist at the university has tried out the modern version of the Trombe wall in Egypt where 94% of the energy used is derived from fossil fuels. She explains that the innovation could help reduce dependence on electricity and cut down carbon emissions.

Cost effective production

The researchers have taken care to retain the basic construction methods. The old but popular passive technique has been employed, meaning there are no mechanical parts involved. This makes for an economical operation. The materials that are used are easily available. Wood and locally quarried stone are used for the basic construction, while wool is used for insulation. The glass used is produced locally, too.

Ventilation system

The modified version relies solely on naturally available solar energy and prevailing wind currents in the region. This makes for a very cost effective design structure.

Dabaieh reveals that the new design employs the concept of ventilation to utilize the air streams to generate cooling techniques. This is a major improvement upon the older version of the Trombe wall, which often caused over heating inside the building. The researchers are continually adjusting the vent structures and positions to make the temperature more endurable. This eliminates the need for air conditioning in the hot summer months.

Roping in the locals

Dabaieh reveals that the project has engaged local residents in the construction and installation process. This will help cut down costs further and provide employment opportunities for young people. Since many homeowners in St Catherine who have put up the Trombe wall, have expressed their satisfaction about the structure, several other residents are keen on installing it.

The adapted Trombe wall is a cheap and efficient system that could serve to meet the challenges posed by rising energy requirements worldwide.

Quantum Dot Solids to Bring In a New Age Electronics

Quantum dot solids, a term for crystals fabricated from crystals may be the next thing after silicon wafers to bring about major changes in the field of electronics. Just as wafers constructed from single silicon crystals changed the tools of communication technology about half a century ago, a team of scientists in Cornell University working on quantum dot solids expects to transform this field further.

Larger structures from nanocrystals

The scientists grew larger crystals from nanocrystals of lead selenium. They then shaped square 2D superlattice structures by the process of fusion, taking care to maintain the atomic coherence. The atomic coherent lattice ensures that the atoms are directly connected to each other. There is no other intervening substance. As a result, these superstructures have superior electrical properties compared to those of existing nanocrystals of semiconductors. The researchers anticipate that this would aid absorption of energy and emission of light.

Tobias Hanrath, associate professor in Robert Frederick Smith School of Engineering, along with graduate student Kevin Whitham has led the study. The research findings have been published in Nature Materials.

Hanrath stresses upon the fact that the building blocks making up the superstructure have been designed with a degree of accuracy that matches with atomic scale precision. He goes on to say it would be reasonable to assume that the structures are as perfect as possible.

The current work is based on an earlier research done by the group, details of which have been brought out in a paper in Nano Letters in 2013. The study had dealt with new technique for bonding quantum dots. This involved monitored displacement or shift of ligands, which are connector molecules.

Tweaking the structure

Electronic coupling of each quantum dot or connecting the dots, as the paper has termed the process was considered a significant challenge. The new research appears to have resolved this problem. Compared to the previous structure consisting of nanocrystal solids linked with ligands, the new superstructure is vastly superior as it allows an ample scope for modifications. The nanocrystals undergo extremely strong coupling, which brings about energy band formation. Scientists can manipulate the bands according to the structure of the crystals. The researchers say that this maneuvering could lead to the development of new artificial materials with adaptable electronic structure and properties.

From lab to industry

Whitham does concede that a lot of work has to be done before starting production of these crystals on an industrial scale. The superlattice conceived by the group has several sources of flaws. This is principally because the nanocrystals making up the lattice are not exactly identical. The defects reduce the possibilities to which the electronic structure can be controlled. He points out furthermore, that the understanding of the structures formed by connecting the quantum dots is not yet complete and that this knowledge is essential for improving the results.

Whitham says that he expects that other scientists will further the work done by his team and improve upon the superlattice structure by removing the existing flaws. He is confident that additional research on the subject could lead to game changing techniques in the field of communication technology.

Anoto – The Digital Pen & Paper Concept

John J. Loud holds the first 1888 patent for a ballpoint pen. He described this as a writing instrument capable of writing on rough surfaces such as wood, coarse wrapping paper and other surfaces that common fountain or quill pens could not. Unfortunately, Loud’s ballpoint pen was unsuitable for smooth writing and his patent lapsed. In 1938, Biro, a Hungarian newspaper editor, invented the actual ballpoint pen we are so familiar with today.

Writing on ordinary paper does not allow interfacing to the computer and transferring handwritten notes to the electronic media has always posed difficulties. However, a new development by Anoto Sweden is set to overcome this handicap faced by the humble ballpoint pen and paper and turn them into a suitable digital writing interface anyone can use.

The Anoto pen is hardly distinguishable from an ordinary ballpoint pen. Removing and replacing the cap constitutes a simple on-off function. In the Anoto concept, the pen has a digital camera and an advanced image processor inside it. Data from the pen travels wirelessly to the PC via a radio transceiver built into the pen.

The digital pen can use any ordinary paper printed with a special proprietary grid pattern. This grid only makes the paper look somewhat off-white to the user. The pen contains real ink that leaves its mark on the paper. A camera, built into the digital pen, takes snapshots of the grid nearly fifty times each second in infrared light and memorizes the position of the pen with respect to the grid. As the ink is invisible to the infrared camera, the pen keeps no record of the marks on the paper. The built-in memory stores several pages of handwritten text.

The Anoto patterned paper the user is writing on is actually a tiny part of one large sheet with several domains. These are set aside for various specific activities such as a digital notepad or licensed to companies for use as certain applications. Anoto can configure each domain for a different functionality, which the pen recognizes based on its position on the gird and reacts accordingly. The entire grid pattern covers nearly 60 million square kilometers so you can stop worrying over running out of paper.

The Sony Ericsson Chatpen from Sony is the world’s first digital pen built with the Anoto concept. It looks like a somewhat chubbier version of a normal ballpoint pen, offering little hint of the cutting-edge technology concealed within. There are other Anoto partners such as Vodafone, to supply the GPRS network and Esselte and 3M, to supply the paper products. Anoto is sparing no efforts for making this the standard infrastructure for digital paper. For this, Anoto is entering into alliances with Microsoft, MeadWestvacod and Logitech. Microsoft is incorporating the functionality of the digital pen into its .NET platform.

The Anoto digital pen and paper concept has an incredible scope of potential applications. As a simple example, you can scribble a quick note on your pad and then send it as a fax or an email simply by ticking the send box printed in a corner of your page. Astonishingly, you will be doing this without access to a computer.

Quadcopters Now Fly Below Water

It may sound bizarre, but it was bound to happen. Quadcopters, after they conquered flying in air, are now also equally capable of flying below water. Of course, submarine vehicles need a different build to keep the water from entering the system. Therefore, submarine quadcopters will always be sturdier and more expensive than their airborne counterparts will. You can witness the Deepflight Dragon – a beautiful quadcopter – on Lake Tahoe, California.

Graham Hawkes, submarine designer, was initially interested in aviation, but was disappointed as he was born too late for building airplanes in his backyard. Therefore, he concentrated his design expertise towards building Deepflight Dragon. Presently, the design is still in preliminary testing stage and the stabilization software is yet unfinished. Kip Laws, chief scientist of Deepflight, is delighted with the progress after the first test of the vehicle.

With its four vertical thrusters, Deepflight Dragon looks more like a two-seater Formula One car without wheels. You could easily pass it off as a flying car when on a helipad. Graham has applied aircraft technology to build the drone of the deep. It is a simple, stable vehicle able to move around freely and hovering when the driver wants it to – for whom it is a piece of cake to drive.

Graham first stumbled on the idea for the Dragon when he found people trying to build a full-sized quadcopter capable of carrying a man and flying like a drone. His calculations told him there would never be enough energy and endurance in a drone to carry the weight of a man and batteries while flying. However, if taken underwater, the buoyant force of water will help carry the weight – water is a fluid 850 times denser than air.

That made Deepflight Dragon a two-person underwater drone. One of the biggest advantages of flying underwater is the buoyancy provided by water. Deepflight Dragon has positive buoyancy, which means it naturally floats. Therefore, to submerge, it only has to pull itself downwards to the equivalent of five percent of its weight. This also allows Deepflight Dragon to have an all-day endurance with only a 15 KWHr battery pack.

The back cockpit of the drone has only two controls. The first is a lever on the left and the other is a joystick on the right. The lever is for engaging upward or downward vertical thrust, with the joystick making the sub move forward or backward, while also allowing it to turn left or right.

Although the controls look simple, they are somewhat different from those on an airborne copter, which simply tilts forward to go forward. As the Dragon has to pull downwards to get itself underwater, tilting the joystick forward actually makes it move backwards. Additionally, when the drone is moving forward, its rear end will go up, hindering vision.

All this makes it necessary to have a stabilization system to keep the sub on a level plane – with an extra set of thrusters mounted under the rear wing. Being in an X/Y orientation, these extra thrusters move the sub and allow it to make turns. That leaves the main four thrusters to control the depth of the sub and to level it.