Update 4/2: As reported by GearJunkie, Triton has been forced to refund nearly $900,000 in IndieGogo backing since it was revealed that their campaign made false claims about the device’s technology. It cannot, in fact, extract oxygen from water, but instead relies on replaceable oxygen cartridges, just like, well, any underwater breathing apparatus.
Aquaman has been the butt of much derision in pop-culture circles over the years.
But look beyond the fiercely lame seahorse caddies and improvised marine weaponry and you’ll find something almost no other superhero has. Something human. Something relatable …
Gills.
You heard that right: thanks to a state-of-the-art oxygen respirator called the Triton, aspiring Aquamen everywhere are about to get their moment in the surf.
The battery-powered gills rely on a microporous hollow fiber to make undersea breathing possible for 45 minutes up to a depth of 15 feet. The Triton has a micro-compressor that extracts oxygen molecules through a filter and then relays them to the diver, meanwhile compressing and storing excess breathable air in a tank.
The MSRP for the Triton will be $399 but the company is taking preorders on Indiegogo for just $299 and plans to begin shipping in December.
Triton, One Commitment, One Passion 1:53
Important proviso, though: as Digital Trends points out, the concept was first introduced in 2013 as the Triton Scuba Mask and the company has yet to prove that its concept can actually hold water, er, uh, air.
When asked about the viability of the latest incarnation of the Triton, company co-founder and CEO Saeed Khademi sounded a little green around the gills. “We have already showed the information we can without jeopardizing that another company can copy our product,” Khademi said. “It is easy to judge but please understand this is our baby and we cannot risk anything, because there [are] some people that are skeptical about the technology.”
Don’t hold your breath.
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