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'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

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Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#121
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a Monocycle something different to a Unicycle?

Apparently! I did not expect such a nice find after asking search engine this: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=1700041 > There are two main types of single-wheeled vehicles. In a unicycle, the rider sits above the wheel. These vehicles are recognizable by most people. Less well known is the monocycle, where the rider sits inside the wheel.

The famous South Park episode was a monocycle!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entity_%28South_Park%29

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#123
post #93

It’s obscure but there was such a contraption trialled by the seals and cia in the 1950s http://www.hisutton.com/CIA_Water-Air_1958.html Here’s a pedal powered smuggling submarine from the 1940s http://www.hisutton.com/Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submar...

Interesting that the CIA conclusion for a device very similar to the article is "Not recommended for operational use due to its discomfort and very slight gain in speed over that of a swimmer equipped with fins."

probably should read "trained swimmer with fins"

It can take some time to get used to fins and the motions needed. Many more people have ridden a bike

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#124

It’s obscure but there was such a contraption trialled by the seals and cia in the 1950s http://www.hisutton.com/CIA_Water-Air_1958.html Here’s a pedal powered smuggling submarine from the 1940s http://www.hisutton.com/Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submar...

"Wartime paddleboards" is not a phrase I ever expected to read.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#125
post #51

I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. This seems awkward and I bet you have to use your arms just to counterbalance the twist you'd get on each 'stroke' of the leg. So even though I think it's goofy, I bet I'd like whoever came up with this. Someone who put a ton of effort into building something they thought would be interesting despite a thousand people telling them it's goofy. Go…

> I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. I run because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. But I also bike because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. You seem to assume that because this thing is faster, it must automatically be less enjoyable. That’s not the case for bikes, why should it be the case here? In my opinion it sounds fun, and…

Maybe not necessarily "faster" but there is an idea that adding any kind of technology should be avoided for recreational activities. For example, you can mountain bike with a fully-suspended e-bike, or you can struggle with a hardtail or even a road bike. Different kinds of fun, but in the former you'll wonder if it's the technology doing all the work.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Traveling at that speed for a long distance would be beyond human capabilities, wouldn't it? Super just means beyond, not way beyond. I blame Superman for this notion.

Not really. Most serious lap swimmers can do a kilometer every 20 minutes sustainably, akin to a marathon runner's pace (Sprint pace would be 100m/minute, with 50m/minute being what you would see in the fast lane of most recreational pools). So 3.6 kph isn't all that different, maybe a little faster than average but I assume they were also using a better-than-average bicycle person when doing the test. There real adv…

Not sure why you're downvoted. Five minutes for a 500 Free is a pretty typical time for boys on highschool swim teams.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#127

It’s obscure but there was such a contraption trialled by the seals and cia in the 1950s http://www.hisutton.com/CIA_Water-Air_1958.html Here’s a pedal powered smuggling submarine from the 1940s http://www.hisutton.com/Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submar...

"Wartime paddleboards" is not a phrase I ever expected to read.

Brings a new meaning to "Charlie don't surf". At this point though, you have to pretty much imagine that the military has researched any and every mode/method/means of achieving the goals of a mission. I'm sure roller blades and skateboards have been considered at some point as well.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#128
post #27

> The nominal mode enables motion through the water at 3.6 km/h, and for speed-seekers, the SEABIKE can reach a maximum of 7.9 km/h – much faster than normal swimming speeds or even flipper-assisted swimming. https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/seabike/product-68606-564117... Pretty fast, but "superhuman"? For short distances Michael Phelps can swim faster :)

[flagged]

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#129

I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. This seems awkward and I bet you have to use your arms just to counterbalance the twist you'd get on each 'stroke' of the leg. So even though I think it's goofy, I bet I'd like whoever came up with this. Someone who put a ton of effort into building something they thought would be interesting despite a thousand people telling them it's goofy. Go…

My favorite way to swim is with those flippers - because I go fast. Going fast doesnt mean not enjoying it.

Yep, going fast with flippers feels great.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#130

It’s obscure but there was such a contraption trialled by the seals and cia in the 1950s http://www.hisutton.com/CIA_Water-Air_1958.html Here’s a pedal powered smuggling submarine from the 1940s http://www.hisutton.com/Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submar...

H. L. Hunley (submarine)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_submarine

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