‘Invisibility Wetsuit’ Turns Wearer From Shark Victim To Fashion Victim
If only the poor, unfortunate souls in Sharknado had had these.
With the black-and-white suit, the pattern scares away a shark looking to attack. The blue and aqua version serves as camouflage to confuse the shark.
OK! (Claps hands together). Who wants to test it?
The wetsuits were developed as a response by the Government of Western Australia to the increase of shark attacks along the coastline of Western Australia.Indeed, Australia is pretty much shark central as far as attacks go: there have been 124 unprovoked shark attacks there in the past 10 years. And Western Australia is the hot zone: in March of this year, they closed the beach at popular Trigg Point when a pack of more than 100 sharks was seen about 600 meters out.
“But, as you see, it’s a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time. Amity, as you know, means ‘friendship’.”
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
Posted Posted on 9/6/2013 by Hüseyin Kılıç
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia, with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ – and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12 months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see, and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
- See more at: http://welldonestuff.com/invisibility-wetsuit/#sthash.o9oCShXK.dpuf
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
Invisibility wetsuit
‘Invisibility wetsuit’ to protect against sharks launched in Western Australia
Suits are designed to mimic nature, some camouflaging swimmers, others warning sharks to stay away.
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks
has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark
attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia,
with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two
new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
Based on a breakthrough discovery that sharks are
colour-blind, one wetsuit, labelled the “Elude”, is designed to
camouflage a swimmer or diver in the sea.
At the other extreme, the “Diverter” sports bold white
and dark-blue stripes, and is intended to mirror nature’s warning signs
to ward off any potential shark attack.
More than two years in development, the suits, which retail at $495, went on sale via online distributor Radiator on Wednesday.
Prof Shaun Collin, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said a
mix of scientific discoveries and observations about nature were used to
come up with warning suit designs aimed at reducing the risk to
swimmers, surfers and divers.
“The idea is to reduce the risk of the wearer in certain conditions,” Collin said.
“Many animals in biology are repelled by noxious
animals – prey that provide a signal that somehow says ‘Don’t eat me’ –
and that has been manifest in a striped pattern.
“We are using a lot of nature’s technology, based on high-contrast-based banding patterns.
The wearer will be obvious, and the idea is the shark will see that as an unpalatable food item and swim right by.”
The five fatal attacks in WA waters in just under 12
months, which earned the state the unwelcome tag of shark attack capital
of the world, prompted the research into the suits more than two years
ago.
The designs have been tested in the water with tiger
sharks – but not on humans – mainly in waters off the northern WA coast
near Ningaloo Reef.
Testing will continue this summer with great white sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa.
Hamish Jolly, from SAMS, said the results so far warranted the suits going on sale immediately.
“We now know what these big predatory sharks can see,
and what we have done is convert that science into a marketable
technology,” Jolly said.
“We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food.”
Source: theguardian.com
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