Just a couple of months ago, Geneinno successfully Kickstarted its Titan underwater drone, which users can remotely-control from above the surface. Now, the Chinese company is about to crowdfund a little something for those of us who actually want to explore the underwater world up close and in person – the Trident underwater scooter.
Not to be confused with OpenROV's Trident underwater drone, the neutrally-buoyant Trident scooter is designed to pull scuba divers or snorkelers along at a maximum depth of 50 m (164 ft). Its dual propellers deliver up to 12 kg (26 lb) of thrust, allowing users to choose between two set speeds – 3.6 and 7 km/h (2.2 and 4.3 mph) – via a finger trigger control.
One 1.5-hour charge of its 24V/6,000-mAh lithium battery pack should be good for a claimed one hour of use. An indicator lets users know when the charge level is getting low. There's also a GoPro mounting point on the 3.5-kg (7.7-lb) scooter's underside, along with a child safety lock switch to keep unsupervised tykes from powering the thing up.
If you're interested in getting a Trident, its Indiegogo campaign should be starting towards the end of this month. You can register for notifications via either of the links at the bottom of this page. We're told that pledges will begin at US$299, and that the planned retail price will be $499.
The Trident is reminiscent of Sublue Tech's WhiteShark MIX, which is a little lighter, has the same battery life, but only goes 5.6 km/h (3.5 mph) and has a shallower depth rating. It also originally had a planned retail price of $499, although that has now climbed to $699.
