Student builds one-man sub

Justin Beckerman has been inventing things since he was 2 years old, and this month, the 18-year-old New Jersey boy unveiled to the world his latest creation -- a fully functional one-man submarine.
Beckerman, a high school junior from Mendham, New Jersey, built the underwater vessel from the lightweight corrugated plastic used in drainage pipes.
The nine-foot-long, 1,300-pound submarine, dubbed The Nautilus in homage to the first nuclear sub, can dive to depths of 30 feet, although the aspiring engineer has yet to pressure-test it in the water.
It took the West Morris Mendham High School junior six months and nearly $2,000 to build his vessel mostly from salvaged materials: the sub's motor came from a fishing boat, while the Plexiglas dome was made from sky lights.
Beckerman also made sure to include several safety features inside the underwater craft, including pumps and a breathing hose, which would supply the person inside the vessel with air in case the Nautilus floods.
"I wanted to see what I could build and figure out how I could build it," Beckerman told MyFox New Jersey.
He has been tinkering with mechanisms since he was a toddler, mostly using common household goods, which has earned him comparisons to the character MacGyver -- a fictional secret agent known for his inventive use of everyday items.
His latest vessel is much more sophisticated, featuring ballast tanks to control the height in the water, air compressors, sonar, paddles, regulators and valves from an old soda machine, float sensors, four battery systems, a horn, a two-way radio, a PA system, a wireless camera and 200 watts of LED lighting.