This concept oxygen mask has raised £560K on IndieGoGo despite worries that it doesn’t work

There's something seriously fishy about this £23 underwater "breathing device".

This concept oxygen mask claims it can let swimmers breathe like fish. Indeed, so many people believe in the scientific possibility of the project that it has already raised more than $800,000 (£560,000 - well over it's original $50,000 goal) on IndieGoGo, where units sell for $33 (£23) a pop. The Triton – product name now copyrighted for obvious reasons – allegedly  employs cutting-edge technology to create "artificial gills", and claims to be years ahead in both fibre technology and battery capability. [caption id="attachment_49244" align="alignnone" width="620"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption] The device claims to work due to a newly developed filter that is apparently too fine for H2O molecules to pass through, but allows (smaller) oxygen to do so. But, so far, several scientists and researchers refute the claims. Some go as far as to suggest that the device could be so ill-conceived it could actually hurt people. An author at popular science blog Core 77 writes:

"The concept overlooks other obstacles besides respiration, such as the time it takes for an earthbound creature to resurface. When a person comes up after a deep dive, the body needs to decompress properly."

Of course, Jeabyun Yeon, the man who designed the device, believes it will change the way we interact with the water altogether in the coming years. Instead of lugging around heavy scuba gear and flippers, swimmers will now only have to bite down into a plastic piece to get their much needed oxygen. [caption id="attachment_49242" align="alignnone" width="656"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_49243" align="alignnone" width="652"] via Triton / IndieGogo[/caption] The South Korean company behind the device claims it could deliver 45 minutes of underwater swimming pleasure at a maximum depth of 15 feet. Meanwhile, the creator claims it will permanently change underseas exploration:

"We obtain many things from ocean. It becomes a great vacation spot and provides us with many resources. However, many difficulties are involved in using them, among which the most fundamental difficulty is breathing. To use skin scuba equipment, we must learn very complicated procedures. In addition, there are people that cannot enjoy them from being afraid to breathe under water. I've come up with a future product that can solve these difficulties."

Slightly more skeptical readers may remember last year's Skarp Lazer Razor, which turned out to be incapable of cutting anything, let alone human hair. It might seem unbelievable now, but all new tech has to start somewhere. Maybe it really does work. Maybe the internet has made us all jaded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=117&v=obqxzmmv7uM [caption id="attachment_49246" align="alignnone" width="620"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_49247" align="alignnone" width="620"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_49253" align="alignnone" width="724"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_49248" align="alignnone" width="620"] via Triton / IndieGoGo[/caption]