This College Student's 3D Printed JetPack That Lets You Swim Underwater At 13 Kmph Like A Fish
Jetpacks are an incredibly cool concept, but they¡¯re also kind of dangerous you know? So instead, one student from the UK decided he¡¯s build a jetpack but not for flying. No, his device instead propels you underwater like Aquaman.
Jetpacks are an incredibly cool concept, but they¡¯re also kind of dangerous you know? So instead, one student from the UK decided he¡¯s build a jetpack but not for flying.
No, his device instead propels you underwater like Aquaman.
Archie O¡¯Brien from Loughborough University says he was inspired by a similar underwater propulsion device that he fell in love with as soon as he saw the promotional video. Unfortunately, it was priced at a whopping $17,000. So instead he just figured he¡¯d build his own.
CUDA, as it¡¯s called, took O¡¯Brien just a year to design and build the first prototype for. First he had to research the math involved for waterjet propulsion. That revealed to him that his original idea to shrink down a jet ski engine into a jetpack wouldn¡¯t work. Instead, he¡¯d have to design his own propulsion system to fit a backpack size.
Most of the jetpack was made using 3D printing technology, though a few parts had to be CNC machined. This allowed him to build an efficient device that still wouldn¡¯t break the bank. Additionally, all the 3D printed parts had to be dried and coated with epoxy resin to keep them functioning when submerged, with silicone seals around doors that provide access to the batteries and electronics.
The CUDA functions similar to a jet ski, sucking in water from the front and blasting it out from the rear, taking the wearer up to speeds of 12.8 km/h underwater. O¡¯Brien has tested it in swimming pools and open water so far with great success, though it probably requires a lot more in-depth standardised testing.
Yet, the CUDA is expected to be put into production almost immediately. And thanks to the largely 3D printing manufacturing process, the first models should be available as early as 2019, O¡¯Brien says. But he doesn¡¯t expect only thrill seekers to be interested. Rather, he says huge potential for applications in underwater rescue and marine research as well. The only thing still up in the air is just how cheap O¡¯Brien decides to make the device, not to mention how well the 3D printed parts will hold up over time.
