Oceanographers use towed underwater vehicles to map seafloor bathymetry with sonar, take pictures of the seafloor and marine life, and record gravity and magnetics profiles of the oceanic crust. Apparently not satisfied with the science market, OceanFlite officially launched a leisure/yacht line of TUVs last month for entertainment purposes on private boats and yachts. OceanFlite, a UK-based company, designs and builds towed underwater vehicles (TUVs) that take design cues from marine life such as dolphins and manta rays. The Dolphin TUV (pictured right) can carry up to six cameras and a mini scanning sonar on a single dive to full ocean depths. What's particuarly unique about the Dolphin TUV is that it mimicks the body shape of dolphins to create negative lift and the outer hull permits water to flow inside the vehicle, which provides inertial stability. These technological advances have allowed OceanFlite to design one of the world's smallest high-capacity towed underwater vehicles. Other designs include the Manta TUV and SeaMaster TUV, both of which can reach full ocean water depths. The OceanFlite website has a cool gallery of pictures and a bulletin board where you can post questions about towed, remotely operated, and autonomous underwater vehicles.