"The major difference between steam power and hamster power is that you don't have to shovel hamsters into a furnace. Another key difference is the smaller carbon footprint made by hamster energy than that of coal and other fossil fuels."
~creators of HPS Hamstar
Dunno if anyone posted this before.
Anyways, two ocean engineering students did this for a project, and here are the results:
If you watch the extended cut, you can see the hamster, Houdina, before and after the voyage, returning from the pool safe and sound:
It can be noted on their website that the hamster's safety was of utmost priority.
In this project, the following overall objectives were set before design or construction began:
- The capsule must be capable of housing at least one (1) hamster when fully submersed
- The capsule must be built of materials derived from common household objects
- The capsule must be re-deployable
- The life and well being of the hamster must not be compromised in any way
Please note, the description on the first video is pure satire in response to commenters. You can tell because of the following lines:
Needless to say, we did finally learn our lesson: if we could lash two hamsters together and then train them to swim while pulling a submarine in tow, it may break the previous hamster-submarine-speed-record of 0.04 ft/s.
After numerous attempts, we were able to retrieve each submarine with a specially designed tool that consisted of a net attached to a long pole. It took two weeks to cut through the tough outer hulls with an acetylene torch.
Beyond the wall of text that is the description, a true description can be found:
This video is "take 2" because "take 1" was simply testing the submarine without a hamster in it. We obviously wanted to make sure the vehicle was fit for a tiny mammal. The bubbles escaping at the seal of the two halves of the submarine are from the air that we were pumping into the capsule via an infant nasal respirator. The sub is only about a foot below the water. The hamster enjoyed her first and only voyage and is enjoying a peaceful retirement, never again to explore the shallow depths of the swimming pool.
Edited by CookieCake, 26 September 2015 - 12:21 AM.
