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1968 – Beaver Mark IV Submersible by North American Rockwell. Renamed “Roughneck” in 1969.

UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Submarine Beaver Mark Iv In 1970. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Each of the two manipulators has a 9-ft reach, eight degrees-of-freedom, and a 50-lb lifting capacity. The two manipulators can be equipped with nine different tools to perform various tasks. These tools are: impact wrench, hook hand, parallel jaws, cable cutter, stud gun, centrifugal pump, grapple, drill chuck, and tapping chuck. Rates of motion are variable.

Above and below photo source: Manned Submersibles, Bushby.

Artists concept.

See other early Underwater Robots here.

1967 – STAR III Submersible by General Dynamics had a bow manipulator with interchangeable "hands" and two television cameras, and operated at depths of 2,000 feet.

STAR III Manipulator Control Panel.

Above and below: Advertisements highlighting the manipulator arms developed at General Dynamics.

Press Photo c1967.

Star II and Star III (foreground), the two research submarines launched by General Dynamics last month at its Electric Boat Division in Groton, Conn., completed their preliminary sea trials this week. Star III, which is 25 feet long and can carry a 1,500 pound payload, compared to Star II's 250 pounds, is in Atlantic waters preparing for advanced testing of its 2,000 foot depth capability. The boat was leased last week by the Military Sea Transportation Service to conduct oceanographic research surveys off Bermuda under technical direction of the U.S. Navy's Underwater Sound Laboratory. The 17.7 foot long Star II is being readied for exhibition in next week's Marine Technology Show in Washington, D.C., where it will form the central part of General Dynamics' multi-divisional presentation there.

See other early Underwater Robots here.

Photo source: Manned Submersibles, Bushby.

1964 – Asherah Submersible by General Dynamics.

Manipulator Arm: One electro-hydraulic. Made by General Dynamics.

Asherah, the first commercially built American research submersible, was a two-man submarine built by General Dynamics, Groton, Connecticut, USA, and could dive to a depth of 600 feet (180 m). Commissioned in 1963 and launched in 1964, it was used to develop a new system of stereoscopy, and allowed archaeologist George F. Bass to become the first to use side-scanning sonar to locate a shipwreck.
It was named after Asherah, an ancient Semitic goddess known as "she who treads on the sea".

Asherah evolved and was replaced by the STAR II and STAR III submersibles.

See other early Underwater Robots here.

1967 – STAR II Submersible by General Dynamics.

Manipulator Arm: One Electro-hydraulic with 4 degrees-of-freedom. Full reach – 4 ft 1 inch. Payload at full reach – 150 lb. Mechanically jettisonable. Made by General Dynamics.

Source: Manned Submersibles, Bushby.

Source: Manned Submersibles, Bushby.

Above: Advertisement highlighting the manipulator arms developed at General Dynamics.

Press Photo c1967.

Star II and Star III (foreground), the two research submarines launched by General Dynamics last month at its Electric Boat Division in Groton, Conn., completed their preliminary sea trials this week. Star III, which is 25 feet long and can carry a 1,500 pound payload, compared to Star II's 250 pounds, is in Atlantic waters preparing for advanced testing of its 2,000 foot depth capability. The boat was leased last week by the Military Sea Transportation Service to conduct oceanographic research surveys off Bermuda under technical direction of the U.S. Navy's Underwater Sound Laboratory. The 17.7 foot long Star II is being readied for exhibition in next week's Marine Technology Show in Washington, D.C., where it will form the central part of General Dynamics' multi-divisional presentation there.

See other early Underwater Robots here.

1968-69 – Deepstar 2000 Diving Saucer by Westinghouse.

The manipulator arm is simple as per all Cousteau/Westinghouse submersibles of this period with only two degrees of freedom. The arm is electro-hydraulic and the claw is of the clam-shell type, also referred to as an "orange peel" claw. Arm is also mechanically jettisonable for safety reasons.

1968-69 – Deepstar 2000 Diving Saucer by Westinghouse.

See Cousteau's earlier SP-350 here and Deepstar 4000 here.

See other early Underwater Robots here.