A new invention looks set to revolusionise Scuba and diving in general.

It's called the 'Triton Oxygen Respirator', a small but remarkable device that will do away for the need to carry bulky tanks on dives, and allow the dives to last much, much longer than can be had with conventional equipment.

It's amazing function lies in the design of tiny, nano scale 'artificial Gills', a series of small strands or threads have tiny holes along their length, which are smaller than water molecules, and can effectively separate the Oxygen from the water while diving, on demand.

Here's what it looks like.

Looks amazing doesn't it.

Thinking ahead, apart from applications in the Scuba industry, this could well find its way onto private, commercial and military ships as a safety device issued to all crew and passengers, aircraft too if they have to ditch into the sea.

With slight modification, it could also be used on land, by firefighters in smoke filled building for example.

All they'd need would be a small canister of water or something similar to a hydration backpack to extract O2 from..there's a lot of O2 in a single litre of water..about 630 litres worth.

We breathe about 6 litres per minute (when resting) and maybe 10 times that when working hard, so a pack containing 2 or 3 litres of water will supply a fair amount of O2, enough to last long enough to search and rescue people from smoke filled buildings.

The weight savings will help emergency responders to move around more easily too without having to carry bulky and heavy tanks around with them.

Exciting stuff.