The world is looking for cleaner ways to get around, with everything from solar power to hydrogen power currently being tested by various startups around the world. Now, a budding Australian has come up with a new clean way of getting around on water, and it swaps horsepower for fish power.
While you might think the cleanest and most efficient way to get around on the open water is with a set of sails, the I Did A Thing YouTube channel believes otherwise. As such, it created a horse-drawn carriage for the sea using live fish and an inflatable dinghy, what could possibly go wrong?
I Did A Thing is a pretty fun channel to check out if you like weird builds, such as crossbows mounted on cars and garden spring traps to catch out home invaders. The latest build is much less aggressive, though.
The idea for the project is pretty simple, the team set out to see if it would be possible to pull a vessel through the water with nothing more than the power of a few fish. To do this, they assemble a rig out of plastic piping, pool noodles and wood that can hold the fish securely. This rig fits onto the front of an inflatable boat with a pivot point so that the fish can be directed to swim any way you want to go.
So far, so good, but actually getting the fish to pull the boat proved to be the trickiest part. After attempting to catch wild fish, with little success, and proving that eels were too slippery for the job, I Did A Thing instead went to a fish farm and picked out five barramundi, also known as giant sea perch, which they said were reaching the end of their lives.
One at a time, the fish are fitted with a snug harness around their bellies and left in a bucket of water to acclimatize. Once each is harnessed up, it can then be slotted into its own tube on the front of the boat, before the craft is lowered into the water.
It takes a moment, but the craft does slowly start moving through fish power. Speed is pretty slow, but when the team splashes in the water the craft moves a bit quicker, almost as if the fish are trying to swim away from the disturbance like their lives depend on it. Speed also picks up when there’s a tailwind although that’s probably not related to the fish.
All in, I Did A Thing says their fish-powered boat maxed out at around 1 mile per hour, and with the pivot up front they prove that you can control the boat on the lake. The victory lap doesn’t last long, though, as after just a few minutes in the water the fish quickly escape from their harnesses.
Whether this serves as a glimpse into the future of sustainable sea travel, I’m not so sure. At least it offers an alternative to those futuristic sails that are being developed to reduce carbon emissions from shipping. Maybe the fish power would be more effective if you harnessed up a bigger fish, but it’s probably better if we don’t find out if that’s true.
