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Agence France-Presse

There are probably easier ways to set a world record, but Rudiger Koch has found his method 11 metres (36 feet) under the sea.
He has been living in a submerged capsule off the coast of Panama for two months – which means, he says, he has about two more to go.
“The last time I checked, I was still married,” he joked, as fish swim through bright blue Caribbean waters outside the portholes.
But Koch, a 59-year-old aerospace engineer from Germany, has grander plans than simply notching a record.

His stunt, he says, could change the way we think about human life – and where we can settle, even permanently.
“Moving out to the ocean is something we should do as a species,” he says. “What we are trying to do here is prove that the seas are actually a viable environment for human expansion.”
Koch’s 30-square-metre (320 sq ft) capsule has most of the trappings of modern life: a bed, toilet, TV, computer and internet – even an exercise bike.
The only thing missing? A shower.

His home under the sea is attached through a vertical tube to another chamber perched above the waves, housing other members of his team – and providing a way for food and curious journalists to be sent down.
The underwater chamber, meanwhile, provides a shelter for fish and acts as an artificial reef – providing an environmental benefit.
“In the night, you can hear all the crustaceans,” he says. “There’s the fish out there, and there’s all that stuff, and that wasn’t here before we came.”
On a small bedside table lies Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a 19th century sci-fi classic.

An admirer of the novel’s Captain Nemo, Koch, who went down on September 26, is hoping to come up for air on January 24, surpassing by 20 days the record held by American Joseph Dituri, who spent 100 days submerged in a Florida lake.
Two clocks show how much time has passed – and how much remains.
A narrow spiral staircase leads to the chamber above, the entire contraption located some 15 minutes by boat from the Puerto Lindo coast, off northern Panama.
Four cameras film his moves in the capsule – capturing his daily life, monitoring his mental health and to provide proof that he has never come up to the surface.
Eial Berja, an Israeli, operates them from the section above, while minding the electricity and backup generator.


It has not all been easy going, he says, noting that a heavy storm almost put an end to the project.
Outside the media, Koch’s only visitors have been his doctor, his children and his wife.
Supporting the project is Grant Romundt, from Canada. Both he and Koch have grander visions linked to the libertarian – and at-times controversial – “seasteading” movement that envisions ocean-based communities outside government control.
Though he still has a long way to go to resurface, Koch knows exactly what he will do first once he is back on land: have “a shower, a real shower”.


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Sustainability

Can humans live under the sea? Engineer attempts world record to prove it’s a good option

Rudiger Koch in his underwater pod, where he aims to live for 120 days. Photo: AFP

German aerospace engineer Rudiger Koch in his underwater pod off the coast of Panama, where he aims to live for 120 days to set a world record. Photo: AFP

Koch looks through a porthole inside his underwater room off the coast of Puerto Lindo, Panama. Photo: AFP

Koch’s underwater pod provides a habitat for marine animals. He says he sees fish and other creatures around his temporary home that weren’t there before. Photo: AFP

A crew member sits on a boat near Koch’s underwater home, which is attached via a spiral staircase to a chamber above the water, from where cameras recording Koch and his electricity supply are managed. Photo: AFP

Koch keeps himself busy on his laptop in his submerged pod. He is hoping to ascend on January 24, 2025 after setting a world record. Photo: AFP

Koch’s underwater pod is 15 minutes by boat from the Puerto Lindo coast. Other than journalists, the aerospace engineer has only been visited by his wife, children and doctor. Photo: AFP

AR glasses that can tell names and addresses of people you meet expose huge privacy risks

Imagine a pair of glasses that could tell you the name and address of anyone you met. Harvard students Caine Ardayfio and AnhPhu Nguyen made them a reality in just four days. The students adapted Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and computer software to create spectacles utilising existing face recognition technology to identify people in real time, underscoring the potential for augmented reality (AR) in future. Photo: X/ AnhPhuNguyen1

The Harvard students’ adapted Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses identify people in real-time using existing facial recognition technology, and can even provide their home addresses if they are listed in public records. Photo: X/AnhPhuNguyen1

The glasses were able to deliver someone’s name in just under two minutes. Photo: X/AnhPhuNguyen1

The students said that if they had full control of the tech stack, including the camera feed or a database of information, recognition would take 10 seconds. Photo: X/AnhPhuNguyen1

Anhphu Nguyen says the aim was to raise awareness and that they had no plans to commercialise their project. Photo: X/AnhPhuNguyen1

What Google Maps’ new AI features are and how they will help you get the most from a place

Starting this week, US users of Google Maps will be able to ask for tips on things to do around specific spots in a neighbourhood or city. They will receive lists of restaurants, bars and other nearby attractions that include reviews that have been compiled through the years. Photo: Shutterstock

One of the cars that Google uses to periodically photograph the millions of destinations covered in its digital maps is shown during a pit stop at its “Street View Garage” in Palo Alto, California, on October 30, 2024. Photo: AP

Hearing problems? Apple AirPods Pro 2 can help with them thanks to new hearing aid feature

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved software from Apple that can turn AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids. Photo: AP

The ability of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 to serve as hearing aids may help more people with hearing loss access the tools they need for better overall health. Photo: Shutterstock

 In Hong Kong, about 246,200 people have hearing difficulties. Photo: Shutterstock

Most people with hearing loss are over 60, and one study found men are more likely to have it. Photo: Shutterstock

Many people who need them have tried traditional hearing aids, but do not use them because of cost, poor quality, poor fit, how they look or for other reasons. Photo: Shutterstock

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved software from Apple that can turn AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids. Photo: AP

What Norway’s naked mega-spa is like to visit: a prudish Brit strips off for a ‘hugely liberating’ experience

A couple unwinds in the Turkish hammam at The Well in Norway, which has Scandinavia’s largest spa and one where being naked in the saunas and steam rooms is expected. Photo: The Well

Sauna-goers slap each other with birch-branch whisks at The Well. Photo: The Well

The Well is located in the forests of Sofiemyr, outside Oslo. Photo: The Well

While the space is enormous, the areas feel intimate and safe. Photo: The Well

The Well’s sculpture forest features captivating artworks by renowned Norwegian and international artists. Photo: The Well

An Aufgussmeister leads a traditional Aufguss wellness ritual in a 90-degree-Celsius sauna. Photo: The Well

It’s perfectly acceptable to go for lunch or dinner in your bathrobe (and nothing more) to The Well’s brasserie, and most guests do. Photo: The Well

Lifestyle

Gadgets

German Rudiger Koch’s 120 days in a pod at sea aims show the ocean as a new frontier of human living. He shares what he misses about dry land


German Rudiger Koch’s 120 days in a pod at sea aims show the ocean as a new frontier of human living. He shares what he misses about dry land.


Offbeat