Posted on 10/05/2016 9:18:30 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Traditional wetsuits are usually designed with a foamed neoprene, a stretchy synthetic rubber material, which can come in different thicknesses - the thicker the neoprene is, the warmer the suit will be.
However, while visiting Taiwan, Hosio and her team met with sporting goods makers who were interested in wetsuits with sustainability and asked about 'a bioinspired solution'.
'Surfers, who go in and out of the water, want to be nimble and shed water as quickly as possible when out of the water, but retain the thermal management properties to stay warm when they are submerged,' she said.
And upon returning to the states, the team looked for the solution in semi-aquatic mammals, including beavers and sea otters.
The plan was to create 'precise, fur-like surfaces of various dimensions, plunge the surfaces in liquid at varying speeds, and with video imaging measure the air that is trapped in the fur during each dive'.
The team started their work by creating different molds and cut thousands of tiny holes in small acrylic blocks.
Software was used to alter the size and space of individual hairs, so there was a variety of molds to test, and soft casting rubber was poured into the molds once they were finished.
To test their beaver-like pelts, Hosoi and her colleagues attached the pieces to a vertical motorized stage – hair facing outward.
They then submerged the surfaces in silicone oil, which is easier to observe the formation of air pockets.
The experiments revealed that surfaces with denser fur that were submerged at higher speeds trapped a thicker layer of air within the hair.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Surfers dressed like beavers will be more likely be attacked by sharks.
Oh sure, let’s jump into the ocean dressed like the foodsource for 3 different predators. What could go wrong?
Waiting for the beaver jokes to surface!
Let the beaver jokes begin writing themselves.
Cueing Frank Drebin in 5...4...3...2...1
Or...as Dave Berry once wrote, what would life be like for a boy to have to grow up being known as “the Beaver”?
Or they could go all out and use seal skin.
“denser fur that were submerged at higher speeds trapped a thicker layer of air.”
Sounds great. I hope to try it. The water in Santa Barbara is a chilly 60º this time of year.
A 92 year old man from Santa Barbara has great stories to tell: bears walking around downtown in the 1930’s, painted freeway in 1970’s.
I asked him, What do you think of surfers who use wet suits? He said, “Sissy boys. We always surfed without wetsuits in the 1940’s and 50’s. Sometimes we used wool sweaters.”
Leave it to...Jack.
:D
I always try to get into Beaver in the Winter, and the spring, sand the summer and fall.
before surfing two big cups of joe then a whicked piss in the wet suit
"NO..but it's twitchin' a mite."
I don’t know what direction to go with this. do I joke about staying nice and warm in a beaver? Or do I joke about dressing in a fur suit and jumping into great white infested waters?
I do not recognize this world I find myself in.
It might be a loose fit. Look kinda awkward, confuse the shark and all.
Oil glands sold separately.
Ahem:
When given choice between eaten by shark and stay warm in beaver, choose beaver.
Depending on shark, close call.
They may have a point - beaver has always kept me warm.
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