The SeaOrbiter - a gigantic, solar-powered, floating aquatic observation vessel is set to scour the seas non-stop for new life and sunken civilisations.
It might look like something out of a James Cameron dream but this 190ft tall floating behemoth is taking to open water as the world's first non-stop exploration vessel, complete with submarine drones, underwater living quarters and space training simulator, News.com.au reported.
Oceanographer Jacques Rougerie is the mastermind behind the SeaOrbiter - a creation he's been designing for over a decade - and secured the final 30% of the AUS$ 53million build cost from crowdfunding site KissKissBankBank.
Constantly roaming the oceans and with over half of the 190ft ship under the water's surface, the SeaOrbiter offers an alternative exploration proposition to current research projects. Missions have been mapped out when it sets sail to get an in-depth look at seabeds, search for lost civilisations, find mythical deep sea creatures and find new life forms.
This mega craft looks to blow all other research vessels out the water being decked out in some high-tech tech kit including being built from Sealium - a recyclable aluminium designed for marine environments - and powered through a 'solar skin' which will let it sail in silence. On-board there's a hive of high-tech devices from which large numbers of subsea exploration devices leave daily like sub-aquatic bees to gather data and return at the end of each trip.
With ten accommodation levels, there is room for 22 permanent inhabitants, including four above the water for sea bird and surface observation and six decks below the water that will let residents continuously peek out into the big blue. Pressurised hyperbaric quarters are also found below, which are intended to save deep sea divers the bother of having to go through the decompression process.
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