David Lang builds tools for underwater exploration. This summer, he and his team are shipping out the OpenROV Trident, a ready-to-use underwater drone they funded on Kickstarter in 2015 with the support of over 1,300 backers. Here, he waxes poetic on oceanic adventures and shares how you can get involved in the emerging field of citizen science.
What should everyone know about the OpenROV Trident?
There's a simple description: it's a swimming camera that can dive to depths of 100 meters and send live video back over a thin tether. But that never does it justice. It's really an adventure machine, a tool to help you explore new worlds.
Why are you excited about making ocean exploration more accessible?
I think life is more interesting in pursuit of big questions, and the ocean is the perfect place to start [exploring]. We read often about the problems facing the oceans, and how little of them we've actually explored. To me, and to many in our community, that's an exciting challenge.
What did you learn between first launching OpenROV as a DIY kit and launching the Trident, a professionally manufactured drone?
Manufacturing a product is much harder. Kits are just parts in a box, but a product becomes this constellation of complexities. Every step has to be executed with such precision, so as not to set off a chain reaction of future problems. The important thing [we learned]: build something you really want [to see exist]. It keeps you obsessed with the details. We want this tool, and we definitely want to deliver an extraordinary product to our backers who helped bring it to life.
Five citizen science projects I love
DoggyBiome
There have been some truly weird and interesting citizen science projects on Kickstarter; this is one of the more ambitious.
The Oru Kayak
This team started their project at the same time as we did OpenROV. It's so cool to see how far the product and team has come.
Science Abridged
Zach and Kelly Weinersmith are always fun. Automatic back!
Balloon Mapping Kits
Public Lab rocks. They are true pioneers in the citizen science movement.
Safecast bGeigie Raku
SafeCast is another classic citizen science project. Kickstarter Gold means we have another chance to back it.
Five OpenROV expeditions I'm following on OpenExplorer
Meteorite Hunt
Earlier this year, a widely reported sighting of a meteorite landing in Lake Michigan set off a serious search for the space rock. These explorers are hot on the trail.
Freshwater Jellyfish
Have you ever seen a freshwater jellyfish? I haven't. That's why I'm eagerly following this expedition from a jellyfish expert at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Antarctic Minke Whales
This expedition is going under the ice to study the foraging behavior of one of the least understood krill predators in Antarctic waters: the minke whale.
High-Altitude Archaeology
What secrets hide in Laguna Sibinacocha, located in the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of 16,000 feet?
Jurassic Sponge Conservation
The glass sponge reefs off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, contain some of the oldest creatures on the planet. This expedition is trying to draw attention to these fragile ecosystems.
Five science-themed links I like
This Nature article from 2013 builds a case for the value of slow science.
The Forest Service runs a network of 80 "experimental" forests. I think they're fascinating.
If you see an animal or plant that you can't identify, upload a photo of it to iNaturalist, my favorite app.
Zooniverse has dozens of citizen science projects that need your research skills to advance discovery.
The Kickstarter-funded Foldscope "microcosmos" community site is full of good questions and endless enthusiasm.
Etc.
The birders never sleep
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Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
Anyone can be an underwater expolorer: OpenROV at TED2019
TED Fellow and maker David Lang, at right, helps attendees navigate Monterey Bay through the eyes of a Trident underwater drone. Check out the starfish! (Photo: Dian Lofton / TED)
It’s a foggy day in Vancouver — dense, white clouds hang over the North Shore Mountains, just barely visible through the high glass walls of Vancouver…
