This Bathing Suit Cleans The Ocean As You Swim

Chances are, if you think about the term "saving lives" and the word "bathing suit", your mind will wander over to Baywatch. That said, I'm happy to reroute your cerebral triggerscha with this information: engineers have designed a new bathing suit will clean the ocean as you swim. Yeah, think about that for a moment.

It's estimated that every year, 706 million gallons of waste oil are dumped into the ocean. Most oil pollution rests on the water's surface due to its density and composition. And a large percentage of that oil washes up on shorelines, spreading contamination on land and causing rapid erosion. While cleaning efforts are made possible, the cost and expanse of the operation makes it an unpopular choice.

So when Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan, professors at University of California Riverside, came up with the concept of Spongesuit — the bathing suit that absorbs local oil pollution — the wearable tech community embraced them with open arms. The frame of the suit is made from 3D printed elastic and the sponge insert is made of heated natural sugar. The sponge can absorb up to 25 times its own weight and can be worn effectively up to 20 times. Yeah, this suit is environmentally friendly, green, and made of natural materials. At this point it's almost showing off.

Considering that most swimmers dwell around shorelines, this suit could theoretically reduce and inhibit oil from washing up on land. And maybe most importantly, this suit will eradicate the term "beach bum". If you're wearing the Spongesuit you're not bumming, you're saving the world!

Image: Unsplash