Solo flying and under-water breathing are two sure signs we’ve reached the future. Up until now most efforts from the technological world have been focused on the former, but there may just be an answer to the later in the Triton, a state-of-the-art oxygen respirator which has been dubbed ‘artificial gills’!

The makers of the Triton say the mouth-held device will allow Joes to breathe underwater for up to 45 minutes at a maximum depth of 15ft. The advantages of the device are obvious and could completely revolutionise diving and other marine activities.

While scuba-diving is the obvious rival, the Triton doesn’t feature any heavy equipment, complicated safety procedures or even training. It’s easy to use, and no longer than a snorkel. To use it, the makers say all you need to do is gently bite into the mouthpiece and breathe normally.

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It apparently works as the holes of the threads used in manufacturing are smaller than water molecules. Triton say they therefore keep water out and let oxygen in. A micro compressor (which runs on a powerful lithium-ion battery) then extracts and stores the oxygen, allowing Joes to breathe naturally.

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All sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, be warned – there have been plenty of questions asked about the claims of the Triton. The biggest being that in order to extract enough oxygen to keep you breathing, the device would have to be incredibly efficient at removing oxygen from water. And by ‘incredibly’, we mean ‘insanely’ – the Triton would need to be able to filter five litres of water every 15 seconds…

If you’re more convinced than we are, you can get hold of the Triton ‘artificial gills’ from their Indiegogo Page, where it’s being funded. A Triton in any colour you choose will set you back around £210 ($299), with an estimated delivery time of December this year. We’d recommend you wait until you have some hard evidence first though!

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