ARTIFICIAL BREATHING TO GIVE HUMANS THE FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

In a major breakthrough in diving, scientists have developed an artificial gill capable obtaining oxygen sea water.
The question of how fish breathe puzzled man centuries. Now, fortunately, a team of chemists, physicists and mathematicians at Tokyo University have built two forms of artificial gill, which imitate the breathing method used fish.
They are also developing a lightweight version could be worn on the back. They expect that the first model be available for human trials within three years and could be sale in the shops within five to ten years.
Fish transfer oxygen directly the blood, and the artificial gill will be to transfer oxygen through a mouthpiece into human lungs.
This process of taking oxygen of water occurs through the ultra-thin surface of hundreds of fine, hollow threads. As water streams over them, the dissolved oxygen in passes through to become a breathable gas.
At the moment, the human gill has a 10-litre volume, has to be halved to produce a machine small to be commercially successful. In to this, the team is optimistic, believing it will have huge value both for commercial and leisure purposes it will let people dive, in shallow water, for as as they like.