The saint-Petersburg State Marine Engineering University seeking investment for its Blue Space pedal-powered submarine which has been at the prototype stage since 2003.
The pocket sub is designed for two and requires leg power of 0.4 – 0.8 kW to get up to 2-3 knots. This is a vast improvement on competing personal subs which require 2.5 to 5 kW.
This has been made possible by exploiting the Coanda effect which states:
“if an air or water jet is blown out through a flat slot in tangential direction, this jet adheres to the surface on a comparatively large spacing from the slot. At the same time, rarefaction or thrust on the surface is generated.”
The Blue Space is also cheaper to run and is capable of the following maneuvers:
- Forwards
- Backwards
- Up
- Down
- Hover
- Rotate about its vertical axis
The inventors are hoping that rich folk and resort owners alike will be keen to pay the asking price of$30,000 to $70,000 depending on specification.