ME 350X_Assignment 4 Machines

Machines Essay

Scuba Gear

Ethan Keyser

ME 350X History of Technology

3 November, 2014

H.R. Statement: Yes, I used the online resources cited in my footnotes, as well as library resources.

A human being can go several weeks without food, and several days without water, but if they do not have oxygen they will die in a matter of minutes.  Because of this limitation, mankind’s greatest obstacles have always been bodies of water.  Throughout history water has always kept man from traveling, and the world under the water remained unknown.  However, like most problems that man is faced with, historically there have been numerous devices created to overcome the water.  All the various machines led up to what is now known as SCUBA gear (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus).

Very early on, man learned that he could use a hollowed reed to assist his underwater swimming ability.  There is a story of a “Greek Warrior who escaped from his Persian captors, then created havoc amongst the Persian fleet by cutting the ships loose while submerged and breathing through a hollow reed. This is one of the first references in the history of scuba to specific attempts at breathing underwater”.[1]Although this method had its uses, the length of the tube through which the swimmer was breathing limited the swimmer.

Another common method at the time was to create what is called a “diving bell” in modern times.  To accomplish this, a hollow container was forced underwater, thus trapping a quantity of air that the swimmer could use to sustain themselves while spending longer periods of time under the water.  Over time the idea of a snorkel and a diving bell were combined to create a diving helmet.  The diving helmet allowed swimmers to stay underwater for greater periods of time, as long as they were close to the surface.  That said, the system was still far away from modern SCUBA.

In 1825 “English inventor, William James designed […] a cylindrical ‘belt’ attached to a copper helmet. The belt held about 450 psi of air, enough for a seven-minute dive”.[2]  This was the first ever “self contained” breathing apparatus.  Shortly there after, an “Englishmen, Henry Fleuss designed [an][…] oxygen rebreather.  […] Fleuss then decided to use his invention for a thirty-foot deep dive underwater.  He died from the pure oxygen; oxygen is toxic to humans under pressure”[3] For a long time this was the great challenge for SCUBA devices—how do you regulate the compressed air?

This question was answered when a man named Jacques Cousteau invented a ‘demand regulator’.  This device used a modified car regulator to ensure that the diver did not die from Co2 or oxygen poisoning.  Soon after, in 1942, Cousteau began to manufacture the famous “Aqua-lung”.  This device was the first true SCUBA, and allowed for divers to swim freely through the water while having an air supply.

Navies around the world immediately realized the many uses for this technology.  During WWII there were many divers from various countries that conducted sabotage and reconnaissance missions. One of the more famous groups was the United States UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) divers.  These men were the precursor to the modern day Navy SEALs.[4]  The military use of SCUBA soon captured the public’s attention and SCUBA began to be used in civilian circles.

As more people began to SCUBA dive, it became clear that there would need to be some other equipment invented to make the activity easier and less risky.  One such piece of gear was the “Buoyance Compensator”, created by Maurice Fenzy.  The device helped a swimmer maintain neutral buoyancy in the water, and in emergencies it could inflate taking them to the surface.  “The device includes an inflatable bag with a small attached cylinder of compressed air.  It became the first commercially successful buoyancy compensator, within a few years, divers throughout Europe […] were wearing ‘Fenzys’”.[5]  Between the success of the aqua-lung, and buoyancy compensator, SCUBA continued to grow in popularity.  Even today, the basic tools for SCUBA diving can be traced back to those two pieces of gear.

SCUBA equipment in many ways followed a path shared by a variety of inventions.  It was created to compensate for a human weakness, was popularized by warfare, and is still useful today.  Although robots or drones do most of modern underwater exploration, there is still a large role filled by SCUBA gear.  As time goes on SCUBA will most likely continue on the well-trod path of inventions—it will become lighter, smaller, and faster.  There is a real possibility that future scuba gear will be able to fit in the palm of your hand, ready when needed.