Ask an Aquanaut: Artificial Gills?
Richard asks: In your research involving rebreathing systems do you ever consider the artificial gill? I first heard of it in the 1960’s . A thin membrane of silacon 1000th of an inch thick allows oxygen to flow though it from the water. I read about it again in 1985. A back pack model was shown in a British dive magazine. I wrote to Aquanautics Corperation in 1993 about their product and learned that they were using the membrane in fresh produce packages to remove oxygen from the fruit and vegetables, but there was no mention of using it as a breathing apparatus. Have you heard any news about the artificial gill?
Dear Richard
This is not an area that our operations and diving experts are familiar with. May be something out there, but not that we are aware of or are working on. Sounds pretty science fiction like…though would be great if it could come to fruition.
Ellen Prager
Chief Scientist, Aquarius Reef Base
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