#2410: Barnacladding

Everyone knows that barnacles are bad for boats…they increase drag and may actually damage the underlying hull surface itself.

The shells of these creatures are incredibly tough and impact resistant. Today’s invention is a way to make use of barnacles as a natural protective coating.

barnacladding

Imagine a diving suit for people who have to work in shark-infested waters. This could have barnacle shells epoxied to its outer surface, away from the inner sides of elbow and knee joints.

If attacked, these relatively light shells would act as effectve armour…allowing a diver enough time to retreat to a cage.

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