Aquatic Device Light Guide for Shark Deterrence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shark attacks on surfers and other water users have increased due to mistaken identity, as the silhouette and shadow of aquatic devices resemble natural prey, leading to unprovoked 'hit and run' attacks in areas with poor visibility and harsh conditions.
Innovation Solution
Equipping surfboards and other aquatic devices with light guides that absorb light on one portion and emit it from another, altering the silhouette and reducing or eliminating the shadow, thereby making them less recognizable to sharks as their natural prey.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If aquatic devices have a standard solid structure, then they provide buoyancy and support, but they cast shadows and create silhouettes that resemble natural prey, increasing shark attack risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies optical modification by incorporating light guides and reflective materials into the aquatic device. These components manipulate light to create a shimmering, non-solid appearance that changes with viewing angle and light conditions, transforming the device's visual characteristics from a static prey-like silhouette to a dynamic, unpredictable optical pattern that sharks do not recognize as prey.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guides and reflective elements act as intermediaries between the solid structure and the surrounding water environment. These optical components modify how light interacts with the device, creating a visual barrier that prevents sharks from perceiving the underlying solid form, thereby mediating the interaction between the device and potential predators.
2Ease of manufacture
If aquatic devices maintain a conventional design, then they are simple and easy to manufacture, but they create recognizable shadows that provoke shark attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates light guides and reflective materials that create dynamic optical effects. These components transform the appearance of the device by manipulating light reflection and refraction, producing a shimmering effect that changes with viewing angle and illumination, thereby eliminating the static shadow problem while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
3Device complexity
If aquatic devices have a uniform appearance, then they are structurally simple, but they create consistent silhouettes that sharks can easily identify as prey
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs light guides and reflective surfaces that create variable optical appearances. These elements cause the device to display different visual characteristics depending on lighting conditions and viewing angles, transforming the uniform silhouette into a dynamically changing optical pattern that disrupts shark prey recognition while preserving structural simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the likelihood of shark attacks by modifying the aquatic devices' appearance, making them less identifiable as prey, thus minimizing the risk of unprovoked encounters.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide adapted to adsorb light which impinges upon a first portion of the device
Implementation Method 2
and which is further adapted to emit light from a second portion of the device
Data Source
AI summary
An aquatic device is provided which has a light-emitting surface. The device (101) is equipped with a light guide (105) adapted to adsorb light impinging on a first surface (113) of the device, and to emit light from a second surface (115) of the device.