Proteus makes maiden voyage on San Francisco Bay
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Proteus makes maiden voyage on San Francisco Bay
Originally Posted by SFGate.com
The strangest vessel made its formal premiere Thursday on San Francisco Bay, and it was a sight to see: It looked like a spider, wiggled over the waves like a porpoise, and was fast as the wind.
It is named the Proteus, after a Greek god of the sea, and is the first of what might be a long line of wave adaptive modular vessels -- WAM-V for short -- developed by Ugo Conti, an engineer and inventor. Conti calls it "the prototype of a new class of vessel."
Using technology developed by Conti's El Cerrito Marine Advanced Research Inc., the WAM-V is "a new class of watercraft ... that delivers a radically new seagoing experience." It has twin hulls, like a catamaran, connected to each other and a control cabin by four metal legs. The legs ride on titanium springs -- like shock absorbers -- that allow the WAM-V to adjust to the surface of the water -- to flex like knees.
It has many uses, Conti says. "It can go many thousands of miles to deliver something." It can also enter shallow lagoons in faraway places, help scientists, would be useful in search and rescue operations, and even has some military applications.
It is named the Proteus, after a Greek god of the sea, and is the first of what might be a long line of wave adaptive modular vessels -- WAM-V for short -- developed by Ugo Conti, an engineer and inventor. Conti calls it "the prototype of a new class of vessel."
Using technology developed by Conti's El Cerrito Marine Advanced Research Inc., the WAM-V is "a new class of watercraft ... that delivers a radically new seagoing experience." It has twin hulls, like a catamaran, connected to each other and a control cabin by four metal legs. The legs ride on titanium springs -- like shock absorbers -- that allow the WAM-V to adjust to the surface of the water -- to flex like knees.
It has many uses, Conti says. "It can go many thousands of miles to deliver something." It can also enter shallow lagoons in faraway places, help scientists, would be useful in search and rescue operations, and even has some military applications.
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Originally Posted by Racenut
Yeah, but can you ski behind it? 
I'd take one, depending on the price. I think it looks awesome. It's a great idea too. I can totally see it being implemented many places.
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