Why Startups Need to Leave Ocean Exploration to the Robots

Before the doomed crew of OceanGate’s Titan submarine embarked on their fatal expedition to view the deep-sea wreckage of the Titanic, the vessel was hand-ratcheted closed, making it impossible to open from the inside. It is the kind of detail mundane in its disregard for safety best practices—and so haunting that David Szymanski, creator of indie horror submarine exploration game Iron Lung included it in his story specifically because of how nightmarish it was.

But for companies whose ultimate aim is to send sensors to the deep, whatever their motive, it’s work best entrusted to the unblinking mechanical eyes of robots. Leaving most exploration to machine autonomy acknowledges the limits of human ability, and it will take time to perfect. Still, after this week, better to sink slowly, rather than rush to the bottom.