Underwater Dream Machine

Most of the surface of planet Earth is under water. What lies beneath the waves is hidden from human eyes. But, in 1869, the French science fiction author Jules Verne imagined the Nautilus, a vessel that could allow men to see the undersea world in all its glory.

More than a century of technological developments have made a reality of Jules Verne's fantasy. Today, submarines large and small crisscross the deep ocean. But compared to the Nautilus, in one important respect, real-life subs are a bit of a disappointment: they don't have much of a view.

The big military submarines don't have any windows at all, and even a scientific mini-submersible, like the famous Alvin, has only tiny portholes.

But now Peter Robbins has decided that he will emulate Captain Nemo and build his very own deep-diving submarine with a view, one with a transparent pressure hull.

Underwater Dream Machine - Environment & technology documentary