IsraCast is a Jerusalem-based multimedia network and one of its reporters just wrote an article about a dream come true, "Like a Fish: Revolutionary Underwater Breathing System." An Israeli inventor, Alan-Izhar Bodner, "has developed a breathing apparatus that will allow breathing underwater without the assistance of oxygen tanks." This invention is based on how fish are breathing, picking the air which is dissolved in the water. Right now, a prototype has been built which uses rechargeable batteries and which will allow for one hour of diving time. But don't run to your diving store yet, this system will only be available in a few years. Read more...
The author, Iddo Genuth, first looks at the limitations of current underwater breathing methods: the amount of time a diver can stay underwater; the dependence on oxygen refueling facilities; and the actual use of oxygen tanks underwater.
Of course, many engineers around the world have tried to design better and lighter systems. But now, Alan-Izhar Bodner, has developed his invention by looking at how fish are breathing, explains Genuth.
Fish do not perform chemical separation of oxygen from water; instead they use the dissolved air that exists in the water in order to breathe. In the ocean the wind, waves and underwater currents help spread small amounts of air inside the water. Studies have shown that in a depth of 200m below the sea there is still about 1.5% of dissolved air. This might not sound like much but it is enough to allow both small and large fish to breathe comfortably underwater. Bodner’s idea was to create an artificial system that will mimic the way fish use the air in the water thus allowing both smaller submarines and divers to get rid of the large, cumbersome oxygen tanks.
The idea really sounds neat, but how will it be exploited?
Bodner has already built and tested a laboratory model and he is on the path to building a full-scale prototype. Patents for the invention have already been granted in Europe and a similar one is currently pending examination in the U.S. Meetings have already been held with most major diving manufacturers as well as with the Israeli Navy. Initial financial support for the project has been given by Israel Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Bodner is currently looking for private investors to help complete his project.
 This is a photograph of the prototype that the inventor sent to IsraCast (Credit: Alan-Izhar Bodner). As says Iddo Genuth, there is "not really much to look at" but it's a first draft of the device. We'll see how it goes in the coming years.
This method for breathing underwater was patented in Europe in 2002 and 2003. For more information, you can use the Online European Patent Register search engine. You just have to enter the application number "EP20010996491" without quotes.
For a quicker access, here are the direct links to this patent, "Open-Circuit Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus," referenced as WO0240343 (May 23, 2002) or EP1343683 (September 17, 2003).
Here is the abstract.
A self-contained open-circuit breathing apparatus for use within a body of water naturally containing dissolved air. The apparatus is adapted to provide breathable air. The apparatus comprises an inlet means for extracting a quantity of water from the body of water. It further comprises a separator for separating the dissolved air from the quantity of water, thereby obtaining the breathable air. The apparatus further comprises a first outlet means for expelling the separated water back into the body of water, and a second outlet means for removing the breathable air and supplying it for breathing. The air is supplied so as to enable it to be expelled back into the body of water after it has been breathed.
Finally, here is the conclusion of the IsraCast article.
If everything goes according to plan, in a few years the new tankless breathing system will be operational and will be attached to a diver in the form of a vest that will enable him to stay underwater for a period of many hours.
Sources: Iddo Genuth, IsraCast, May 31, 2005; and various websites
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