Dolphin-Inspired Man-Made Fin Works Swimmingly (swim twice as fast as Michael Phelps!)

Scientific American ^ | 3/2/09 | Julian Smith

[Puppage]

[Doogle]

now ya really look like dinner for a shark....kewl

[Travis T. OJustice]

says Frank Fish, a marine biologist ... Fish, a specialist in the swimming morphology of marine mammals,

Is this a joke? Cool product in any case.

[martin_fierro]

The human body does many things well, but swimming isn't one of them.

Yeah, well I can sure outrun any dolphin.

[NavyCanDo]

Always dreamed about hulling in a Mermaid, but if I drag that in the boat I’m clubbing & gutting

[Malsua]

Incredible Mr Limpet...one of my favorite movies as a kid...saw it once a few years back...it didn’t hold up.

[ClearCase_guy]

There’s a lot of that. At one point in a previous career as a Librarian, I cataloged a monograph entitled “Forms of Animal Communication” by Dr. Robert Birdsong.

[a fool in paradise]

Yes, look even more like a fish. Wonderful way to get eaten.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

A fiberglass spar (pole) clamped between the calves holds two oscillating foils of carbon fiber, a wide one at the hips and a narrower one at the feet. A shallow squatting motion makes the foils undulate, creating vortices that push forward against the trailing edge and provide thrust.

Make the pole a little longer and you can use your Glutes Also. Bawney Fwank may by one.

[Travis T. OJustice]

LOL!!

[70th Division]

they had a special on the history channel on this. how is was made and how it works. It works well.

[Recon Dad]

Can’t you see some fat ass, big belly stud sitting at the shore line putting his big fin on.

On a serious note, one of my son’s specialties is Combat Diver in the Marines and it will be fun to see what he thinks once they test this.

[Professor_Leonide]

Michael Phelps wouldn’t last long in the water against some pissed off dolphins, that you can be sure of!

[isom35]

the device in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ejeWbBvHE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fhl%3Den%26num%3D10%26lr%3D%26ft%3Di%26cr%3D%26safe%3Dimages%26q%3DLunocet%26um%3D1%26ieiurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fi2%2Eytimg%2Ecom%2Fvi%2FI8ejeWbBvHE%2Fhqdefault%2Ejpg&feature=player_embedded

[spetznaz]

He notes that he won't be patenting the Lunocet's design. "If you're taking ideas from nature," he says, "how can you then go to the patent office and say these are mine?"

Never stopped anyone else before. Look at some of the patents in the uncoding of the human genome. Entire chain sequences are patented, even though nothing's come out of it yet.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Look at some of the patents in the uncoding of the human genome. Entire chain sequences are patented, even though nothing’s come out of it yet.”

I agree. Lots of biomedical patents that have been granted seem ridiculous.

[wolfcreek]

Looks like the same device we put on our outboard motor to make the boat plane out quicker.

[JoeProBono]

Boy on a Dolphin

[Two Kids' Dad]

I saw an item at an aquatics store a couple months ago that was kinda similar. Basically a large swim fin that both feet go into. It looked cool and was only a couple huindred bucks (iirc), not the $1800 that the article mentions. I’ll see if I can find a link to the product.