The creators of the 3D-printed Sponge Suit bikini believe that wearable technology is the key to a cleaner world.
“We believe wearable technology can be the next big thing to undo the overseen or remain-to-be-seen harms of mankind’s technological advancements,” say the creators Pinar Guvenc, Inanc Eray, Gonzalo Carbajo and Marco Mattia Cristofori.
The swimsuit has been designed to be environmentally proactive, economically sustainable and intelligently manufactured using 3D-printing technology and clean-tech material research. The end result is aimed at turning the leisure activity of ocean swimming into an ecofriendly activity, cleaning the seas “one stroke at a time”.
The Sponge Suit is designed in two parts: the first is made of 3D-printed flexible material that will fit comfortably to any body size and can contain the special, absorbent filler material. This filler material, Sponge, is a super-hydrophobic carbon-based material that is light and absorbs everything from the ocean except for the water itself.
The Sponge material can absorb 25 times its own weight, and will not release the absorbed contaminants until it is heated to incredibly high temperatures: over 1000 degrees Celsius, at which point it turns back into its original liquid form.
Once melted down, the pollutants and contaminates collected from the water can be separated and the Sponge material can be recycled into another swimsuit.
At the moment, this swimsuit is only a prototype and isn’t availbale for purchase. However, the company behind the swimsuit claim they are ready for mass production and can apply the same technology to bathing suits of other shapes and to swimming caps. Last week the Sponge Suit won first prize in the 2015 Reshape Wearable Technology Competition.
Would you be willing to clean up the oceans while you swim?
Images © Reshape
