512 



[chap. 23 



as 2.5 ft. RUM has a payload carrying capability of 1000 lb in water without 

 exceeding a ground pressure of 1.20 lb/in 2 over the track area ; the total weight 

 is 12 tons in air and 4 tons in water. All components of the vehicle are filled with 

 oil, except for the electronic equipment (lights, television cameras, etc.) which 

 is housed in pressure chambers, thus eliminating the need for a pressure resistant 

 hull as used in manned operations. 



All maneuvers are controlled by the remote observer in the mobile van 

 through the controls at his disposal. He can even apply brakes ; and, if RUM 

 runs into solid obstructions, the brakes set automatically. His eyes are the 

 RUM's four television cameras housed in cylindrical steel tubes only 3 in. in 

 diameter and 14 in. long. The sensing element is a Vidicon tube, and mercury- 

 vapor lamps provide the light. Two cameras view the sea bed so the operator 

 can see the terrain to steer the robot; the other two cameras monitor the 



IHiillWl 



Fig. 9. A view of RUM (Remote Underwater Manipulator) on the beach at La Jolla, 

 California. This robot crawler is designed for working at great oceanic depths. (Official 

 U.S. Navy photo.) 



mechanical arm. The closed-circuit TV system can transmit either a two- 

 dimensional or a three-dimensional image of either high or low resolution. 



RUM and the "diving saucer" are the only deep oceanographic vehicles 

 which have an external prehensile capability. RUM's arm is similar to those 

 used in atomic laboratories for handling the transuranium elements ; it is 

 capable of picking up anything from a starfish to a large rock. The zinc-coated 

 stainless steel arm is, like the main body, a sealed, oil-filled unit with a special 

 reservoir for compensating the difference in compressibility between oil and 

 water. All the actions of the human arm are duplicated, if not improved upon 



