ABSTRACT
Will we ever be able to live and move about effortlessly beneath the surface of the sea without the need for cumbersome SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)? Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997), the underwater explorer and cinematographer, and coinventor of the underwater demand regulator, predicted the emergence of a new class of a technologically augmented human. Homo aquaticus would be able to swim to depths of a mile and be capable of inhaling water, just as a fish does, with mechanical assistance to extract oxygen from the water [1]. Cousteau predicted that this would be a reality within 50 years. Fifty years have passed and his prediction has not come true. Some progress has been made and while we are closer to realizing this goal much work remains. Ideas are required and for these we look to the ocean’s inhabitants for inspiration.
