August 18, 1995
NEW UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS UNVEILED BY CU-BOULDER RESEARCHERS
A new underwater breathing device created by University
of Colorado at Boulder researchers will allow people an easy way to
stay up to 10 feet underwater without using cumbersome scuba gear.
The system is as simple to use as a snorkel but will
enable divers to remain completely underwater for up to several hours, said
Igor Gamow, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and
a well-known inventor of devices used to enhance human performance.
The
apparatus could be useful for such functions as clearing obstructions fromi
boat propellers, performing underwater boat maintenance and retrieving golf
balls from water traps, said Gamow, who co-invented the device with research
associate Dana Ruehlman. The entire device fits into a medium-sized bag
and weighs only 9 pounds without a battery, or 14 pounds with a 12-volt
gel battery.
The
system provides air to the diver through a mouthpiece regulator similar
to scuba gear. But instead of receiving air from pressurized tanks, the
diver receives air from a small battery-operated compressor located on a
boat or a dock above the water's surface. The compressor is powered either
by a 12-volt boat battery or a portable 12-volt gel battery, and sends air
to the diver through flexible plastic tubing connected to the regulator.
"There's
nothing even close to it," Gamow said. "People are always saying:
'Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to just go down under the boat without
holding your breath or putting on scuba gear?'"
The
device, called the Pressurized Snorkel, will make its premiere at
the Annapolis Boat Show in Maryland on Oct. 5.
Gamow
came up with a non-motorized version of the Pressurized Snorkel about
six years ago called the Shallow Underwater Breathing Apparatus or SUBA.
That device delivered air to the diver by having another person manually
press on a foot pump connected to an inflatable air chamber.
But
Ruehlman, a doctor of veterinary medicine who works with Gamow, tried SUBA
about a year ago and found it difficult to use. She didn't like the continuous
flow of air provided to the mouthpiece and was bothered by the steady stream
of bubbles emitted near her face mask.
So
she began trying to create a valve that would provide air only when the
diver wanted it. That led her to redesign a valve used on another Gamow
invention. She ultimately came up with a high-volume, low-pressure air valve
-- the exact opposite of the high-pressure, low-volume valves used in scuba.
"It
just happened to work," Ruehlman said, and provided a much easier and
more convenient system of air delivery. A patent is pending on the valve
design.
Boat
owners could use the system for a myriad of uses including checking the
bottom of their boats for damage and performing repairs, the researchers
said. Other potential uses include cleaning swimming pools, recovering dropped
or lost objects and recreation.
"Everything
else out there is all scuba, which is bulky and heavy and costs $1,000 or
more," Gamow said. The Pressurized Snorkel will sell for $599.
Scuba
gear weighs about 40 to 60 pounds and can provide only a maximum of about
90 minutes of air per tank.
Gamow
enjoys using new materials and technologies to transform existing devices.
One of his earlier inventions, the Gamow
Bag, transformed a 50-year-old high-pressure chamber made of steel and
powered by an air compressor into a portable device made out of nylon and
inflated by a foot pump. The Gamow Bag is now routinely carried on high
mountain climbing expeditions to combat altitude sickness and has saved
dozens of lives.
In
1992 he constructed a High Altitude Bed
that simulates higher altitudes and improves aerobic capacity while people
sleep. Gamow also has co-designed a springing shoe that returns energy to
runners as they move and he's working on spring-loaded crutches
and knee braces.
Gamow
is the son of internationally famous physicist and former CU-Boulder Professor
George Gamow, who helped develop the "big bang" theory of the
universe, made lasting contributions to studies of the genetic code and
popularized physics through dozens of books aimed at the layman.
For more information on the Pressurized Snorkel call 303-492-6969
Press Release: University of Colorado at Boulder * Office of Public Relations * 354 Willard Administrative Center * Campus Box 9 * Boulder, CO 80309-0009 * (303) 492-6431
Contact: Igor Gamow - (303) 492-6969, (303) 443-4938 * Peter Caughey - (303) 492-4007