1. 10. Human powered submarines
Students at the International Submarine Race with their Omer 6 sub
(Img Cred: Wikimedia Commons)
2. 10. Human powered submarines
Not only do these exist, but people actually build and race them for sport. The first
human-powered International Submarine Race (ISR) was held in Florida in 1989,
with 17 contestants.
Since then, ten more races have been held; the most recent was in July where 34
craft built by universities around the world competed at the Naval Surface Warfare
Center Carderock in Bethesda, Maryland.
"The purpose of the sub races is to provide an educational opportunity for aspiring
young engineers," said Foundation for Underwater Research and Education
president Nancy Hussey in prepared remarks. "Their participation in the design,
construction, and operation of a human-powered submarine offers real-time
application of theoretical knowledge, hands-on creativity, problem solving and
teamwork opportunities."
The fact that the students wear scuba equipment while operating their submarines
takes some of the fun out of it –we were picturing a watertight submarine run by a
person pedaling frantically to make the propellers move- it still puts any science
project we’ve ever done to shame.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH CLIPS FROM THE ISR RACES!
3. 9. Lifeguard robot
EMILY the lifeguard robot in action.
(Img Cred: Hydronolix.com)
4. 9. Lifeguard robot
While you’ll never see it run slow motion down the beach during Baywatch, a
robotic lifeguard is already helping protect the sunny beaches of Malibu.
Labeled as one of TIME magazine’s Most Important Inventions of 2010, EMILY –
EMergency Integrated Lifesaving lanYard– was designed by maritime robotics
maker Hydronalix to reach distressed swimmers in rip-tide laden waters.
EMILY is essentially a remote-controlled, talking, padded surfboard with a jet-ski
motor. At four feet long and using sonar to help guide itself to victims, EMILY is
capable of speeds up to 28mph, allowing it to reach distressed swimmers more
than four times faster than a regular lifeguard, reports Popular Science.
Not meant to replace lifeguards, merely supplement them EMILY can be launched
in 30 seconds and travel 81 miles in a single battery charge.
As cool as EMILY is, it does have some drawbacks. It obviously can’t rescue an
unconscious diver, or make sure a diver has enough strength to hold on in rough
seas. Plus, at $3500 a unit, few state beaches are going to be able to afford such hi
tech.
CLICK TO SEE EMILY IN ACTION IN POPULAR SCIENCE!
5. 8. Scuba scooter
Tourists exploring the Great Barrier Reef on the ScubaDoo.
(Img Cred: Youtube.com)
6. 8. Scuba scooter
As if the Segway didn’t look ridiculous enough on land, there’s actually a maritime
version of it called the "Scuba-Doo."
Actually more of an underwater moped, the Scuba-Doo, designed by an Australia-
based company of the same name, was released in 2004 for a whopping $17,000
per unit.
Eliminating the need for weight belts and regulators, the Scuba-Doo has a self-
contained head-bubble, can carry enough air in its tanks for approximately one
hour and has a battery life of 1.5 hours, reports Gizmag.
We look at it this way: at least underwater there’s no traffic for the moped-using
tourists to accidentally crash into.
CLICK TO SEE VIDEO OF THE SCUBA-DOO!
7. 7. Floating farms
Construction of a giant AquaPod off the coast of Hawaii
(Img Cred: Oceanfarmtech.com)
8. 7. Floating farms
Floating farms exist, but probably not in the form you’re thinking of. These giant
floating pods don’t grow food crops - they hold fish.
Ocean Farm Technologies Aquapods are floating, spherical, brass mesh fish pens
designed to float freely in the ocean and house massive quantities of fish for
commercial uses.
Marine biologists from Kampachi Farms, a Hawaii-based open ocean aquaculture
company, are currently studying the effectiveness of Aquapods off the coast of
Kailua, Hawaii’s big island.
The research is causing some controversy among Hawaiian conservation groups
that insist the Hawaiian government were too quick to give permits.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE KAMPACHI FARMS PROJECT!
9. 6. Undersea businesses
A postman hard at work at the Vanuatu underwater post office
(Img Cred: Vanuatupost.vu )
10. 6. Undersea businesses
Neither sharks nor rays nor electric eels stays these couriers from the swift
completion of their appointed rounds…
More to weather than just snow and rain, some postmen in the south Pacific island
nation of Vanuatu actually don a wetsuit to head to their post office branch.
The Vanuatu Underwater Post –the world’s only undersea post office– is open
located 50 meters under the surface of the water off a tropical Vanuatu atoll known
as Hideaway Island.
Designed as a special tourist destination, the post office is manned daily for visitors
to mail special waterproof postcards while scuba diving or snorkeling.
Since opening in 2003, the post office has received an estimated 100,000 visitors,
according to its official website.
CLICK TO SEE THE WORLD’S MOST HARDCORE POSTMEN!
11. 5. Robotic fish
The $31,000 robotic fish taking pollution readings off the coast of England
(Img cred: BMT.org)
12. 5. Robotic fish
Who better to detect ocean pollution than the organisms that live there?
That is the basis on which U.K. scientists from the University of Essex and the BMT
group developed their robotic fish.
Released off the coast of Gijon, Spain in 2009, these carp-shaped robots "mimic the
undulating movement of real fish," according to BMT researchers, and are equipped
with tiny chemical sensors to find pollutant sources in water.
"Unlike previous robotic fish that work with remote controls, these will have
autonomous navigation capabilities, enabling them to swim independently around
the port without any human interaction," according to a release issued by BMT.
The five fish, which cost almost $31,000 a piece to make, transmit their data using a
WiFi uplink while connected to recharging stations in port.
The Brit’s aren’t the only ones using this technology, Scientific American
reports similar pollution recording fish being developed at Michigan State
University.
CLICK TO SEE THE ROBOTIC FISH IN ACTION!
13. 4. Underwater car
Rinspeed’s underwater concept car – the sQuba– in action
(Img cred: Rinspeed.com)
14. 4. Underwater car
First released at the 2008 Geneva auto show, the sQuba was built as a concept car
by Swiss company Rinspeed. It’s a two-door, zero emissions sports car that runs on
land, sea, and underwater.
Plus – get this – it’s a convertible.
"For safety reasons we have built the vehicle as an open car so that the occupants
can get out quickly in an emergency. With an enclosed cabin opening the door
might be impossible," sQuba designer Rinderknecht said in prepared remarks.
The 007- homage runs on rechargeable lithium batteries, has a land speed of
roughly 77mph, a surface water speed of 3mph, and an underwater speed of about
2 mph, according to Rinspeed. While underwater, the occupants can breath
through scuba-like regulators stored within the car.
While it might not be best source for a quick get away, or quite as versatile as Roger
Moore’s tricked out Lotus in The Spy Who Loved Me, but we can’t help but think
that even “Q” would be impressed.
CLICK TO WATCH THE sQuba IN ACTION!
15. 3. Seafloor resorts
A concept design of a hotel room at the under-construction Poseidon resort
(Img cred: Poseidonresorts.com)
16. 3. Seafloor resorts
While certainly not the world's most luxurious accommodation, the 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea-inspired Jules Undersea Lodge is the “first true underwater
hotel,” according to its website.
The former research laboratory was hauled from its home in Puerto Rico to Key
Largo, Florida then reconand opened to the public in 1986.
At 30 feet deep, guests have to scuba dive to get to their rooms. They enter through
a portal in the floor of a pressurized wetroom. (For the adventurous couple, Jules
Undersea Lodge offers wedding and honeymoon packages.)
For anyone picturing something a bit more extravagant Poseidon resorts are
currently under construction by Bruce L. Jones, head of Submarines Inc. Here,
guests would take an elevator from the surface rather than scuba dive.
The 3,000 square foot underwater pod was originally slated to open in 2008, but
construction problems at the resort’s Fiji location have caused
delays. They are taking reservations through their website, though… at a mere
$30,000 a week.
CLICK TO VISIT POSEIDON
18. 2. Artificial gill
We know what you’re thinking: “Of course this exists, it’s called scuba diving…duh!”
But wait, there’s more!
Israeli ocean-tech company Like-A-Fish is working on a prototype for tankless diving
dear.
Rather than chemically pulling oxygen out of the water, the company’s
artificial gill extracts breathable oxygen from the surrounding ocean water using a
centrifuge designed around Henry’s Law --the idea that at a constant temperature,
the concentration of gas in a body of liquid is the same as the gas above that body
of liquid.
In a June 2010 statement, the company said its prototype can provide breathable
oxygen extracted from water while expelling carbon dioxide. The gear,
unfortuntaely, is not yet small enough to be completely portable.
Too bad, we were all ready to swim around like the little mermaid.
19. 1. Marine mammal minions
A Navy dolphin doing mine clearance in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War
(Img Cred: Wikimedia Commons)
20. 1. Marine mammal minions
More than just the stuff of old Aquaman comics, the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal
Program actually trains dolphins and sea lions to protect American ports.
Relying on the documented intelligence of bottlenose dolphins and California sea
lions, the Navy trains these animals to locate and mark potentially dangerous
objects before they can damage military or civilian ships.
"Security is of vital importance,'' program spokesperson Tom LaPuzza told the
Associated Press in 2010, "and humans are very slow in the water. Sea lions can see
five times as well. And dolphins can use their sonar to spot items that would take
humans days or weeks to find.''
At California’s anti-terrorism training demonstrations, in 2010, the AP reported that
a dolphin located a "terrorist" lurking in the dark water, before a sea lion, using a
device carried in its mouth, cuffed the criminal’s ankle so port authorities could reel
him to shore.
Aquaman would be happy to know that none of the Navy’s marine mammals have
been harmed during their anti-terrorist crusade.
CLICK TO SEE THE NAVY "SEALS" IN ACTION ON CNN!
