Experts Claim “Artificial Gills” Scientifically Impossible

Scientists are now starting to question the feasibility of an underwater breathing apparatus known as Triton after raising nearly $850,000 on global crowdfunding site Indiegogo. The device claims to let avid swimmers and divers breathe while underwater for a full 45 minutes despite various experts saying that the device is "scientifically impossible".

Divers currently use bulky equipment to enable to breath underwater and yet the artificial gills, described as the "future of underwater breathing" is only 11 inches and is no longer than a regular snorkeling gear. The size of it as well as the details revealed in its schematic diagram became the grounds for experts and ordinary people alike to claim that the Triton is just another hoax that wants to make money from generous donors.

Alistair Dove, a diver and a marine biologist, claims that the Triton should be capable of filtering about 90 liters of water every minute to produce enough oxygen of divers and swimmers to breath. According to him, filtering such a huge amount of water requires a very powerful pump. Based on the schematic diagram provided by its makers, Triton doesn't even have a water pump.

Also, from the way the makers are describing how the device works, they are assuming that it has a 100 percent efficiency in pulling out oxygen from water, a detail that experts are quick to point out. Scientists also expressed their doubts about the way the device will be powered. They claim that as of now, a battery efficient enough to provide the device the power it needs is not yet in existence.

In an article by The Telegraph, Triton co-founder and CEO, Saeed Khademi claimed that the device works exactly the way it was described and that "each part [of the device] has been developed with a water/diving expert." However, when pressed about the other details of Triton, Khademi failed to give a straight answer and explained that the company "will release new information" after they have processed the patents of all of the components of the device.