Last year, Chinese company Robosea successfully crowdfunded its fish-like BIKI underwater drone. Now, it's testing the waters again (no pun intended) with the SeaFlyer underwater scooter. Whereas BIKI was designed for remotely exploring the depths, the SeaFlyer is for people who actually want to get wet.
Specs-wise, the scooter is pretty similar to the Trident, LeFeet S1 and WhiteShark MIX models that we've recently seen – particularly the Trident.
Pulling users along at a maximum speed of 4.1 mph (6.6 km/h), the SeaFlyer is a little quicker than the 3.5-mph LeFeet and WhiteShark, pretty much matching the Trident's 4.3 mph. It claims the same 1-hour battery life as all the others (at its slower 2.3 mph/3.7 km/h setting), but is heftier – it tips the scales at 8.8 lb (4 kg) with the next-heaviest scooter, again the Trident, coming in at 7.7 lb (3.5 kg).
Users can take it down to a maximum depth of 145 ft (44 m), which is second only to the Trident's 164 ft (50 m). One thing that sets the SeaFlyer apart, however, is an OLED "dashboard" that displays the current speed, depth, water temperature and battery charge level. It's also slightly positively buoyant, so it will float to the surface if users lose hold of it.
The SeaFlyer is now on Indiegogo, where a pledge of US$369 will get you one – assuming it reaches production, that is. The planned retail price is $699, which is the same as the WhiteShark, but substantially more than the $499 Trident.
It can be seen in use, in the video below.
