Tag Archives: marine

This Manta Ray inspired submarine folds for easy transportation on land

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The design of submarines has not seen a radical change all these years, but this one designed by UAE-based startup, Highland Systems is all set to change that. With a shape seeming inspired by the manta ray, this underwater machine boasts a futuristic hydrodynamic design. The spanning wings can fold for easier transportation on land which is a huge advantage as compared to contemporary submarines that the world knows of.

This is the Kronos Armored Submarine that can scout the depth of water for covert missions at a top speed of 50 km/h underwater and 80 km/h while on the surface. And don’t get fooled by its unrealistic-looking renders as this thing is destined for a real-life avatar. The warship is designed for rescue operations, secret military missions, or commercial use for ferrying around cargo or even people. In total, the beast can carry 6,600 pounds of load in the water. If the makers are to be believed, the thing can be equipped with six mini torpedoes for military covert missions. Now that’s crazy!

Designer: Highland Systems

The ultra-futuristic submarine measures 9 meters in length and has a dry weight of around 22,000 lbs. It gets a hybrid powertrain having a diesel generator and 1,200 horsepower, an electric motor powering the waterjet propulsion system. In the electric mode, Kronos can be operational for 36 hours to maintain vital electrical systems and most importantly air supply. The recharging time of the battery and air refueling is 1.5 hours which is good considering the size of it. The diesel engine can also kick in to add another 18 hours of autonomy if the electric battery tops out.

On the inside, the submarine gets air-conditioning and an adaptive lighting system. Overall, the inside space is spacious for passengers to not feel claustrophobic. For now, the thing is allegedly under construction with a picture of the main body under the shell in the works. There’s no more information other than this for now, but we are waiting to see the swift monster take shape and scout the waters in the coming years.

The post This Manta Ray inspired submarine folds for easy transportation on land first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sustainable waterfront infrastructure uses unique concrete technology to replace traditional rock ripraps

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ECOncrete’s patented technology is used to replace inorganic concrete rock ripraps with durable and sustainable infrastructure to provide long-lasting protection for vulnerable shorelines.

While ripraps are familiar sights, their structural formation and the effects they have on the environment are largely left unknown by the general public. Used to armor, stabilize, and protect the shoreline of bodies of water, like lakes, rivers, and oceans, rock ripraps are human-placed revetments that form protective barriers along vulnerable shorelines.

Accounting for vegetation suppression, thermal pollution, and synthetic waste, it seems rock riprap has become an antiquated solution to a lasting problem. Reinterpreting the conventional rock riprap through biomimicry to fit modern environmental needs, ECOncrete developed Coastalock, a new type of durable and sustainable infrastructure to replace rock ripraps. In San Diego, ECOncrete’s patented technology is being used to create a durable and sustainable infrastructure for the Port of San Diego. To replace traditional riprap, ECOncrete set out to create effective, efficient, and climate-adapted armor to protect the Port of San Diego for continued use.

In addition to offering lasting protection for the port, ECOncrete’s patented technology creates sustainable pools for marine species to inhabit and rehabilitates those habitats for fish to enjoy cooler temperatures and organic living surfaces, while generating an expansive carbon sink in the process. Explaining the process behind the Port of San Diego’s new protective barrier, ECOncrete describes, “74 interlocking single-layer armor units were deployed in two pilot sections…The units were rotated to mimic tidepool and cave habitats for local marine life. After a successful 3-day installation, the Port is working with ECOncrete to install 1,000 additional feet of coastal protection.”

Co-founded by marine biologists and innovators, ECOncrete was started to help mitigate the harmful effects of concrete on marine life and ecosystems. Established in 2012, ECOncrete is an interdisciplinary science-backed company with a team made up of many different professionals, from creative designers to technology specialists. Developing a new standard for marine-centered concrete, ECOncrete’s patented technology helps build stronger marine infrastructure which can be used for various functions.

Designer: ECOncrete

The grooves of ECOncrete’s infrastructure provide safe inhabitation zones for marine life. 

The post Sustainable waterfront infrastructure uses unique concrete technology to replace traditional rock ripraps first appeared on Yanko Design.

This massive luxurious superyacht concept comes with three hulls instead of one

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It sort of looks like the Y-Wing Fighter from Star Wars, although designer Yeojin Jung says the superyacht’s split hull design is directly influenced by cantilevered architecture.

There are over 5,000 superyachts currently on this planet, however, none of them look as impactful as the Estrella. Designed by South Kore-based Yeojin Jung, Estrella hopes to break the mold of ‘boring’ practical superyacht design with something that’s a cross between feasible and outlandishly luxurious. Envisioned to look like the jewel of the seas, Estrella comes made for UHNWIs (or Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, as my sorry self just learnt), and sports a split-hull design that divides the yacht into the main component, and two floater components on either side, reminiscent of a seaplane.

The superyacht’s tri-swath design doesn’t make it more stable… if anything, separating the yacht over three interconnected hulls poses stability challenges. Jung, however, states that the yacht comes with separate stabilizers on the ship as well as on the individual side-hulls to counter any stability issues. This allows Estrella to make its aesthetic flex, with a yacht design that looks as beautiful from the front as well as from the top (where the superyacht’s Y-shape is more prominent). The split hull design also allows the yacht’s passengers and occupants to admire their view from multiple vantage points, getting a better experience of the sea, the marine life within it, and obviously the sky too!

The Estrella Superyacht is a winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Yeojin (Chloe) Jung

Harvard’s noodly robot fingers are great at grabbing jellyfish

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Robots can be a bit heavy-handed. Their forceful grip might not be a problem when they're moving boxes in a warehouse, but they can damage fragile marine creatures like jellyfish. Researchers may have a solution. They've created a robotic hand with a...

Giant plastic-collecting ‘pool noodle’ breaks apart in the Pacific

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The "giant pool noodle" dispatched into the Pacific Ocean last September to catch and clean up thousands of tonnes of floating plastic has run into trouble. Invented by Boyan Slat when he was 17, the 2,000-foot-long U-shaped floating barrier was desi...