The U.S. Navy has adopted Xbox 360 controllers to manage photonic masts on Virginia-class submarines, including the USS Colorado and USS Indiana, as a cost-effective and familiar alternative to traditional control panels. The decision was based on lower cost and existing crew familiarity with the gaming device. This approach originated from tests at a Lockheed Martin and Navy lab called Area 51, exploring commercial hardware integration. The陆军 also uses Xbox 360 controllers for drones, though the Defense Department has its own ruggedized controller variant.
. As such, they require more knobs and buttons than most seafaring vessels. These controls require funding and training, so the Navy decided to save time and money by using a video game controller to manage the modern equivalent of the periscope.
In 2018, the U.S. officially welcomed the USS Colorado into active duty. The vessel was the 15th Virginia-class submarine built for the Navy, but unlike its predecessors, the Colorado doesn't implement traditional control schemes to man its twin photonic masts . The Navy decided to install an Xbox controller, and not the then-modern Xbox One controller; the Navy went with the older Xbox 360 controller. The reasoning behind this decision was twofold.
First, there's the price. Xbox 360 controllers maxed out at around $30, whereas a proper dedicated control panel would have cost about $38,000. The Navy also decided to go with this controller because many crewmembers already have experience using it. The logic was that this prior knowledge would cut the amount of training time from hours to minutes – about the same time most gamers need to grasp control schemes in new games.
The controller also isn't as clunky and heavy as original photonic mast controls would have been. The Navy went ahead and adopted this Xbox 360 control scheme for subsequent Virginia-class subs, including the USS Indiana. The idea to replace obtrusive controls with Xbox controllers didn't just spring up from the aether.
The original concept spawned out of the test lab known as"Area 51" , where Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy tested commercial software and hardware and their applications in Virginia-class submarines. There, researchers dabbled in all sorts of control schemes, including tablets, touch tables, and even the Microsoft Kinect and even flying drones –However, the Defense Department has its own controller-like peripheral, the Freedom of Movement Control Unit . This device looks like a chunky, rugged third-party Xbox controller with extra buttons and has been integrated into systems such as the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense vehicle.
However, with the rise of autonomous drones, who knows how much longer these devices have left?
Xbox 360 Controller U.S. Navy Submarine Photonic Mast Cost-Saving
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. Navy Denies Restarting Escort Efforts in the Strait of HormuzRecent media reports have claimed that the U.S. Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz, but CENTCOM's official statement denies this claim. Project Freedom, the previous escort effort, was quickly called off after protests from Russia, sparking a spike in clashes with Iran that jeopardized the fragile ceasefire and led to new drone and missile strikes against the United Arab Emirates. Despite the risky nature of the mission, the U.S. Navy vessels responsible for the escort effort successfully navigated the strait, incurring no casualties and inflicting heavy losses on Iranian forces. The Senate Appropriations Committee has advised against resuming the escort efforts, citing the naval forces' inability to effectively perform such duties in the contested strait. Meanwhile, Project Freedom was seen as a misstep and has been instrumentalized as such by the naval forces to facilitate their blockade efforts.
Read more »
Family finds some closure as driver sentenced in Navy veteran’s hit-and-run deathA mother and daughter are reliving the worst moment of their lives: finding their father and husband lifeless on the side of a Pensacola road
Read more »
The Witcher 3 DLC Confirmed for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Leaves Nintendo Switch Players in the ColdCD Projekt Red has confirmed the release of the long-rumored DLC for The Witcher 3, but with a significant caveat that may leave millions of players without a way to play it.
Read more »
One Of Honda's Smallest Sedans Has A Manual And Starts From $12,500, Just Not HereBesides the meaner face, the sedan gains ventilated seats, a 360-degree camera, and a 10.1-inch infotainment system
Read more »