As the temperatures rise in our beautiful country, we introduce a refreshing innovation: a water velocipede. And this invention has nothing to do with an ancestor of the aqua cycling.
Here, the invention, patented by Rossbach and Ronig from Germany in 1899 (No. GB189901080), describes “a water velocipede, for sporting and such like purpose” in the shape of… a fish!
Here is a drawing of the invention:
Like classic dandy horses, this aquatic vehicle is propelled by the user’s muscular force, but in water rather than on the ground. Two pedals activate a hydraulic pump, which causes a tail fin-shaped propeller to move back and forth laterally, imitating at best the movement of a fish’s tail. Thanks to the user’s efforts, the vehicle begins to move forward. The apparatus is equipped with a handlebar connected to a rudder, allowing the user to steer precisely in the water.
The device appears a bit more complex than our current pedal boats, since it uses compression cylinders and pistons, and has no rotating propeller. The idea was to mimic the movement of a fish, as Leonardo da Vinci did with his flying machines imitating the flight of birds.
We would be quite tempted to get some sun on a beautiful lake with this funny big fish, wouldn’t you? Or perhaps in a shark version, to avoid crowded beaches (insert theme from Jaws).
