DARPA's device has been featured in the November 2007 Popular Mechanics.
Navy SEALs PowerSwim - DARPA Device - Efficient Swimming - Aquaman - Popular Mechanics
The article is reminiscentt of one carried by Popular Science
THIRTY-THREE YEARS AGO in June 1974 about what appears to be a remarkably similar device, the
Aqueon.
It is reported that
DEKA may have received $2,809,407.00 of taxpayer money for the following:
PowerSwim: A Novel Concept for Combat Swimmers
Technical objectives of this effort including the technology areas in which the project was conducted:
Combat swimmers are currently limited to speeds of 1 knot in order to maintain a sustainable caloric burn rate over a period of hours. This speed limit constrains mission planning and prevents missions in some strong tidal areas. Additionally, the maximum mission length is limited to 4 hours due to fatigue and hypothermia, limiting maximum mission distances to 4.5 miles. Placing more propulsive power in the hands of combat swimmers will raise speeds, increase range and carrying capacity, increase mission options and tempo, and deliver a more alert and effective operator on target. This proposal outlines a program to develop a device that will use advanced oscillating foil technology to enable combat swimmers to literally ‘fly’ through water like efficient swimmers in nature. The concept will be evaluated by measuring the metabolic costs of swimming with conventional fins and then with the oscillating foil device over a range of swimming speeds. Program success will be measured in terms of the reduction in the metabolic cost of swimming at a given speed, and by demonstrating a dramatic increase in the swimmer’s maximum sustainable rate of speed.
(Continued on page 132 at:
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/policy/a...rt20060130.pdf)
The Secretary of Defense is required to submit a report (including the above text) annually to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services.
Cal Gongwer acquired a Patent** for such a device in 1971 (now lapsed) with remarkable similarities to Powerswim. It was indicated that parties involved in the Powerswim project met with Cal Gongwer, the 92 year old inventor of the Aqueon on several occasions. Cal even reportedly hosted "pool parties" at his home during which the Aqueon was demonstrated to and evaluated by these parties. Cal undertook these efforts in the hope of securing a contract related to the concept. Sadly, no such contract was forthcoming nor apparently even mention of his
pivotal efforts in creating the Aqueon.
Ignoring obvious similarities, if the Aqueon was of no significance in the "development" of
PowerSwim: A Novel Concept for Combat Swimmers, why was Cal Gongwer reportedly bothered on repeated occasions in this regard? Why was his involvement and a
decades long commitment in the promotion of this concept apparently not mentioned in published information pertaining to this project?
You can checkout Cal's performance data from 30 to 35 years ago that seems to comply with aspects of what the DOD was looking for in the referenced document from 2005. I understand this data was developed during a demonstration to the Navy at a military test facility.
Innerspace Corporation.Thrusters,Hydraulic Motors,Screens
You can examine the decades old Aqueon brochure at:
Innerspace Corporation.Thrusters,Hydraulic Motors,Screens
** Patent 3,802,008
United States Patent: 3802008