A startup wants to make water sports more intense by giving swimmers ‘jet packs’ worthy of Aquaman.
Chris and Simon Parke, the brothers behind startup company SuperMarinovation, developed the x2 Sport underwater jet pack over a period of three years in order to provide snorklers with extra speed and maneuverability.
They write: “The jet pack was born from two things; a dream to explore the underwater world deeper and further than before coupled with a desire to recreate the intense experience of skydiving for somebody that is afraid of heights!”
Simon Parke works in product development in the enterprise software industry, while Chris is a Naval architect working on ship building.
Two Hydra thrusts, one on each arm, propel a swimmer through the water at up to six miles per hour, leaving the hands free. A control system and battery pack are mounted on the swimmer’s back. An analogue throttle controls the speed.
The two brothers have taken to indiegogo in order to fund the project. Specifically, the money will be used to finish development and move the x2 Sport into a production ready state. They’re looking for $35,000, which will enable them to move into a larger facility (the initial product was created in their father’s shed) and buy new components and equipment. All of that will help them refine their methods of production, improving assembly time and build quality.
The x2 sport has enough battery power to run for 60 minutes of typical use, or 15 minutes of racing along at top speed. It takes about four hours to charge the 24000mAh sealed lithium ion battery on a basic charger.
Part of that money will go toward purchasing 3D printers in order to help produce the parts. All of the jet packs will be assembled by the two brothers alone, and checked for quality control in-house.
So far, the campaign has raised about $2,400 of its $35,000 goal, with the campaign ending on Oct. 3.
