When I was little, my mom forced me to go to swimming lessons. It was—in a phrase—a humbling experience. And while I’m thrilled to be a grown man who can get into a pool sans floaties, if I had known someone would build something to take the “swim” out of “swimming” for me, I may have waited for the Iron Man Jetpack to get into the water.
Not only that: it makes you go really, really fast.
Discovered by the folks over on Laughing Squid, David and Ryan from Eclectical Engineering have created their own Iron Man suit for the specific purpose of being able to swim without actually learning how. Testing out the motor in their bathtub, the duo calculated the power input that four motors would create, making sure they could sustain the weight of a person. Utilizing the motors as well as a 3D printer for the rest of the apparatus, David and Ryan now have a suit that can not only help them swim, but also makes them faster than Michael Phelps, arguably the greatest swimmer of all time.
The video does a good job of showing you the calculations they used to determine the speed and power the suit is able to achieve. However, science and experimentation aren’t without risks, as they had to do their initial tests in an area with low liability. I know I wouldn’t want to be held responsible for two guys electrocuting themselves “Playing Iron Man.” Although, once they are IN the water, wouldn’t “playing Aquaman” be a little more accurate?
It’s great to see that even the most common of problems (learning to swim) can be solved with some creativity and ingenuity.
You can check out more videos from Eclectical Engineering on their YouTube channel here.
So what do you think? What is another element David and Ryan should try to conquer next? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or sound off in the comments below.
Need More Cool Science?
- Here’s a video of liquid sand (seriously)!
- We did a rundown of how cockroach brain manipulation works thanks to Rick and Morty.
- And an answer to the question of the ages: could The Flash take a hands-free selfie?
Images: Eclectical Engineering
