New 'tent' makes it possible to camp underwater via NatGeo

[Fastmarc]

Who's in?

New 'tent' makes it possible to camp underwater

 

[kelemvor]

I guess what's new is that it's a commercial product, because the concept is far from new.

They use such a device in the movie Sanctum, and I don't think it was invented it for that particular dive.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@kelemvor

This technology has been around for many years -- 40 or so

SDM

 

[Johnoly]

For long deco divers, just the ability to talk freely about the previous dive is a huge benefit. Also they can communicate with support divers and even have a hot meal brought down to them after many hours of cold work underwater. In one of the videos I saw, the cave divers had it rigged to a rock wall shelf and were able to get most of their bodies out of the water. Huge improvement over being stuck in water deco for hours

 

[kelemvor]

@kelemvor

This technology has been around for many years -- 40 or so

I'm not surprised, I just didn't have any first hand knowledge of it prior to seeing it in the movie.

 

[JohnnyC]

Habitats are nothing new. They range from seriously engineered structures to upturned rotoplas water tanks (mostly in Mexico) and livestock troughs.

This one from Blücher 2014 is pretty sexy.
There's a video somewhere of the one that Brett Hemphill and Matt Vinzant were using in Eagle's Nest with a cute little CO2 scrubber in it as well.

 

[Fastmarc]

Oops, just seeing my typo. Someone change that to NatGeo please.

 

[kelemvor]

Designed and recently patented by National Geographic explorer Michael Lombardi and Winslow Burleson, an associate professor at New York University, the inflatable Ocean Space Habitat is a portable life-support system for divers who want to go deeper and stay longer than conventional SCUBA allows.

US10155573B2 - Portable inflatable habitat with modular payload, system and method - Google Patents

Another example of our broken patent system. These guys were allowed to patent something that someone else invented 40 or more years ago and has even been seen in movies released six years prior to the patent application.

 

[dmaziuk]

These guys were allowed to patent something that someone else invented 40 or more years ago and has even been seen in movies released six years prior to the patent application.

Like the time where you could patent "the look" and "the feel" wasn't enough.

 

[pauldw]

They use such a device in the movie Sanctum, and I don't think it was invented it for that particular dive.

Oh my heck! I wasn't aware of that movie. A review on Rottom Tomatoes says "I couldn't wait for these people to drown." After reading the plot on Wikipedia, it appears they couldn't wait for each other to drown either. It looks like James Cameron committed an affront to civilization!

As far as this new product is concerned, I read the spec sheet. There's barely room for two people to sit. Some camping trip!