Some of the wildest designs in engineering are born from a simple need. In the case of the Floating Instrument Platform, or FLIP, that need was for a research station that could sit dead still in the ...

It may look like it’s capsizing, but the FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) is the only vessel out there that can operate both horizontally and vertically. It was designed to “flip” at sea so that ...

Researchers have been showing off a 355 ft vertical ship in the Pacific Ocean, as it marks its 50th birthday. FLIP, or Floating Instrument Platform, is owned by the US Navy, and flips from horizontal ...

I came across this quite nifty research vessel recently and thought Ars might find it interesting, if only for it's engineering creativity. It's a 355-foot long craft that travels in a horizontal ...