afe because of pressure. A device called a "wasp" was developed and tested. It is a cross between a diving suit and a submarine with two robotic arms. The pilot in the suit can walk on the floor at depths up to 2,000 feet. The diver can look out the plexiglass dome, and move the arms with a joy stick. The wasp has been used to make many undersea discoveries. Now, several companies have been making and developing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). One called the Scorpio can dive to a depth of 3,000 feet. It is tethered to a vehicle on the surface where it is controlled from, but it does not need a human inside. Scorpio's two arms can lift up to 250 pounds water weight. Several multimillion dollarprojects are underway to improve ROVs so they can dive to depths of 6,000 feet. They are needed to salvage costly equipment, and offshore oil industry hopes to use them to maintain rigs. ROBOTS OF THE FUTURE Robotics and robot technology is advancing quickly. There are many dreams to have a robot do something or everything for you. Here are some ideas that we might see in the future. Many people are working on robotic defense systems that can protect the United States from destruction. Here is one idea: To protect the Unites States from nuclear missile attack, hundreds of nuclear battle stations would be put in orbit. When the station detects a missile launch, it move a hollow tube towards the missile. Then the station launches a laser beam that hits the missile before it reenters the atmosphere. To help astronauts retrieve satellites from space, a remote manipulator operated from inside the ship can be used. The manipulator would get to the satellite by using four small thrusters. When it reached the satellite, it would use a grappling device to tow the satellite back to the ship. The idea of having the manipulator repair the satellite by itselfand return to ship arose from t...
