Seaglider — The Aquatic Icarus
Developed by Stephane Rousson, the Sea Glider is a hydrofoil sea anchor which keeps you tethered to the sea, thus allowing you to kitesurf or paraglide above the ocean for long distances. Fl0wstate/Holokai has one on order– look for videos to be posted soon, or come meet us at 3rd Street, or Alameda, or on Maui for a demo!
The sprint triathlon (typically 500m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) is perhaps the biggest misnomer in sports. This is a short triathlon, not a sprint triathlon. An actual sprint triathlon would be 50-200m swim, 1-2k bike, and 100-400m run). We are interested in the true sprint triathlon because it is a biomechanically challenging event– the ability to sprint well, both in swimming and running, is rare, for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most salient reason is that sprinting in each event requires highly-specialized training and mechanics. A true sprint triathlon would be a unique and challenging event, and we plan to hold one in early 2013. In addition, would you rather the body type and physical ability of a sprinter or a marathoner?
We will run the event as a series of long sprints (100m swim, 1k bike, 400m run). We choose the longer sprints because this minimizes the importance of the starts (which in the case of running, in particular, is a highly-specialized skill which requires specific equipment) and the need for sub-second accuracy in timing. You can also participate in this competition virtually. The event is run like a decathlon, in other words, no transitions, but simple timing of each event (e.g., 62 sec swim, 77 sec bike, 59 sec run) and the scoring table is calibrated according to the world records in each event). Stay tuned for details!
True Sprint Triathlon Scoring
Events can be done in any order, as long as the last event is finished within 8hr of the first event
46.91 / time in 100m swim (50m pool) x 100 +
43.18 / time in 400m run (400m track) x 100 +
58.875 / time in 1km mike (velodrome or flat road)
Correction factors (swim)
w/o starting block (subtract 1.5 sec) , 25m pool (add 1.0 sec), 25y pool (multiply by 1.1)
Correction factor (run)
w/o starting block (add 0.5 sec)
OpenROV and Freedive Recovery
We eagerly support OpenROV, an project to democratize underwater exploration through low-cost, open-source design robots capable of going 100m underwater . The robots are controlled via a USB tether and any web browser on a computer. The project was recently launched on Kickstarter. One unique use case for fl0wstate and Holokai could be using OpenROVs in combination with freediving to simplify and lower the cost of underwater retrieval. For instance, the OpenROV could be used to locate and underwater object, such as in a maritime archaeology project. Once the location is known, rather than donning SCUBA to retrieve the object (which involves time, cost and decompression risks), a freediver could dive down to the object (perhaps on a variable ballast weight), and then either retrieve the object or secure it to a line. Use of an unmanned drone in the context make freedive retrieval practical, and in most cases a far superior operational option for object retrieval (assuming the object is too heavy for an OpenROV with a robotic arm to retrieve it on its own).
OpenROV.com
Everest for Sahel
The notion of climbing Mt. Everest (Nepali: सगरमाथा, Sagarmāthā; Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ, jo mo glang ma) may have moved from the farthest reaches of our imagination as to what is humanely possible to a commodified, pop culture commodity that too many people with too little experience are trying to climb at the same time, but it is still 8848m above sea level, and if it didn’t exist, people would say it would be impossible to climb to that height.
We’ll be watching and supporting the United Nations World Food Programme and Edita Nichols and she climbs Everest for Sahel in 2013.
intotheblu.wordpress.com/everest-2013/sponsorship/
intotheblu.wordpress.com/everest-2013/my-gear/
Update: October 2012, Edita summited the 8th highest peak in the world, Manaslu, just days after an avalanche hit Camp 2 and Camp 3. Over a dozen climbers at Camp 3 perished in the avalanche. Everyone in Camp 2 survived, and many later summited Manaslu.
intotheblu.wordpress.com/2012/09/
SV Accelerator 