The MK1C looks like a conventional submarine missing its hood, but this electric vehicle is aimed at underwater travel for those already sporting submersible gear.

Marine biologists, underwater archeologists and special forces, the craft lets divers get in and out easily, but travel far faster than they normally could beneath the waves. Its designers claim it is the fastest in the world, allowing people get get lower faster and stay underwater longer as a result.

It can carry three divers at a time, powered by two spinning motors running on four large batteries. On the surface, it can hit 8 knots – below the water line it can go up to 8 knots. The submarine is equipped with breathing apparatus, a navigation system, extra air supplies and a cargo space of 250 liters.

While designed for more official and serious uses, one could have a lot of fun with this – anyone who has gone recreational diving knows it is a pain to jump in and come back out then search for the next spot. With this, you can cruise below the waves just as you would looking at sights on the surface in a car.

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Like something straight out of Iron Man, this new heads-up display (HUD) from the United States Navy turns diving helmets into dynamic screens.

The Divers Augmented Reality Display, or DAVD for short, is still in a prototyping phase but is designed to provide real-time data for underwater missions, supplemented with sonar and photography as well as briefs and texts to keep divers current while exploring the depths.

A pair of transparent displays together form a stereoscopic augmented heads-up display, simulating depth for divers in low-visibility scenarios.

Live maps can be overlaid on murky scenes, allowing the diver to see regardless of conditions on the ground (or in the water, as it were).

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Darkfin Gloves and Swimming Fingers differ in their aesthetics, but both serve the same purpose: to turn your hands into swimming machines, much like swim fins do for your feet. Each broader movement requires slightly more push, but gives you a lot of pull within the water.

The clear silicone variety are lightweight, translucent and simple to slip on or off, giving you frog-like traction when you pull yourself through the water. Great for surfers and divers.

The Darkfin Glove set is a bit more intensive (and expensive), but works on similar principles, letting you grab more water with each stroke and propel yourself even faster below the waves. They boast comfort and flexibility, as well as a 70% increase in swimming power.

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The idea of humans being able to breathe underwater once seemed as impossible as humans flying. But just as airplanes let us take to the skies, the invention of SCUBA let us explore underwater. A conceptual design from Jeabyun Yeon would make shallow diving even more natural by allowing us to “breathe” underwater sans air tanks.

The Triton Oxygen Mask would take the tanks out of diving by performing the amazing feat of separating hydrogen from oxygen. The water would filter through itty-bitty holes smaller than water molecules. The designer says that this technology has already been invented by a Korean scientist.

A mouthpiece fits between the teeth while the two handlebar-like filters jut out to the sides. A tiny battery-powered micro-compressor would keep the water circulating in and out through the “artificial gills,” providing the diver with essential oxygen. For the diver, this means swimming almost like a fish, unencumbered by SCUBA gear.

While the science behind this fascinating design isn’t explained fully by the designer, the Triton looks like a fantastic way to enjoy the underwater world without the hindering effects of a full SCUBA setup. Divers would still have to take courses to teach them to dive safely, but going into the water without worrying about tanks could greatly enhance the experience.

The post Artificial Gill Mouthpiece Could Let Humans Breathe Underwater first appeared on Gajitz.

For people who have never learned to swim but long to feel the rush of exploring underwater, HydroBOB offers a unique aquatic experience. Described as an “underwater scooter,” the little contraption lets anyone dive in fresh water without scuba lessons or even learning to doggy paddle.

The HydroBOB helmet lets users breathe normally and see all around them underwater. Riding the strange scooter requires no physical exertion at all; you hop on and pull a trigger to make it carry you around to explore the underwater environment.

Unfortunately, it looks like the HydroBOB can only be used in swimming pools, which sort of negates the exploration aspect of an underwater scooter. But the company that offers HydroBOB rides operates a school of robotic fish for users to interact with, so there is more to do underwater than searching for lost nose plugs.

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