Artificial gills let you swim “LikeAFish”
Israeli inventor Alon Bodner is developing an underwater breathing system "LikeAFish" that squeezes oxygen from seawater. The battery-powered artificial gill uses a high-speed centerfuge to lower the pressure of seawater in a sealed chamber, allowing the dissolved air to turn into gas (like CO2 is released when you change the pressure in a soda can by opening it). This air is then transferred to an airbag for the diver’s use. On average, a liter of water is about 1.5% oxygen, so the device needs to circulate about 200 liters/minute to provide enough air for a single person. The air-supply is limited only to battery-power, which at this point rounds out to about 1 kg. (battery)/hour of dive time. There are concerns, like dead-zones that have less oxygen and water pollution, so Bodner does not expect a functional prototype for another two years.
Inventor develops ‘artificial gills’, BBC.co.uk
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