Shark Suit
Speedy the Hamshark Suit
- Version 1
- Coming soon... :)
With version 3.0, the shark suit was almost completely rebuilt. New (shiny!) fabric was used on the outside, and this was sewn such that it can all be removed and washed as needed. The foam support structure was changed in places, and the connections between the various pieces of the body were replaced with ones that are much easier to use. The other big change was the addition of a cooling system that was at first using water to carry heat, and then compressed CO2 when Sharky realized that the water pumps drew too much current from the battery system. Unfortunately, these cooling systems couldn't be perfected and worked into the suit in time for Anthrocon 2004, but the CO2 one will certainly be included in the near future. The batteries were up'd from 12-volt to 14-volt -- in part to help drive the new cooling system and more fans, but also to enhance the eyes which are now much brighter than those in version 2.0.
Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view of each image.
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Sharky version 3.0, in all his shiny glory. Looks like he's auditioning for open mike night at the local sand bar. |
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Side view of the comlpeted version 3.0 suit; the floppy fin in the back obviously will be propped up before the suit makes its debut :) |
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Rather skeletal looking head; this is what it looks like if you peel the fabric away. In the version 3.0 suit, all of the fabric is detachable from the suit body, so that it can be repaired or laundered as needed. (In earlier versions, the fabric was attached with glue, and the person wearing the suit just had to be very careful not to bump into anything sharp or dirty!) |
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And here's the head with the new fabric... |
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Hmm, you know, they say that sharks and rays are in the same family... maybe they do look similar, if you remove the head at least ;) This image shows off the new white underbelly, and the removal of the rather pudgy curve that existed around the middle of the body in earlier versions of the suit. |
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Suit body, you can barely make out the supports where the head connects now; the connection is much stronger than on the earlier suit versions. |
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Side-view of the body and tail, to give a good idea of the overall shape. |
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The headless body contemplates itself in the mirror... kind of creepy ;) Good detail shot of the tail, which is attached upside-down... Oops. |
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Complete suit, waving hello... Come on over and gimme a big hug, I won't bite... much... ;) |
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Side view of the completed suit, getting ready for a workout on the treadmill. Gotta' stay in shape, surfers carry a lot of calories. |
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Control box for the various fans in the suit, as well as the light-up eyes. Lights indicate whether power is going to each circuit, and in the case of the eyes the color of the light indicates whether they're currently white or angry red :) |
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Inside wiring of the control box, nice and neat. |
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The pair of batteries that runs everything; recharge-able 14v, plus an extra pair is kept ready to go at all times should these fail. The batteries will power the fans and lights in the eyes for several hours on one charge. |
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The cooling system that didn't make it in time for Anthrocon 2004, still on the construction bench. The bottle has the compressed CO2 gas, which is charged into the system. The copper tubing passes through the fan boxes (one shown open here, one closed), and the fans blow air over them which is then cooled. |
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Up close image of the inside of the cooling box coils. When the system gets charged up with CO2 at first, these actually freeze! |