Royal Navy submarines of the future conceptualised

Twenty scientists and engineers aged 16 to 34 were challenged to "visioneer" a new generation of underwater craft. Their ideas drew heavily on marine life, feature surfaces that can shape-shift, and boast radical new propulsion technologies. The concepts aim to inspire new ideas for underwater combat in the future. Cdr Peter Pipkin, the Royal Navy's fleet robotics officer, said: "Today's Royal Navy is one of the most technologically advanced forces in the world, and that's because we have always sought to think differently and come up with ideas that challenge traditional thinking." In the 18th Century the Royal Navy began sheathing ships in copper - dramatically improving speed - and the dreadnought revolutionised naval warfare in the run up to World War One.