The present invention relates to systems and methods for pumping or removing a fluid from a region within or on top of or in contact with a water or liquid body and applications for said systems and methods. Some embodiments may be applicable to, for example, inhibiting or preventing growth formation or fouling of structures in liquid environments. Other embodiments may be applicable to, for example, an energy storage device or a tidal power energy generation system.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for pumping or removing a fluid from a region within or on top of or in contact with a water or liquid body and applications for said systems and methods. Some embodiments may be applicable to, for example, inhibiting or preventing growth formation or fouling of structures in liquid environments. Other embodiments may be applicable to, for example, an energy storage device or a tidal power energy generation system.

The invention concerns an amphibious transformer vehicle (ATV) having flexible pontoon-skegs and a flexible frame allowing the ATV which carries passenger or cargo to smoothly transition between varying types of terrain and handle waves and uneven terrain. This vehicle is designed to move over water, snow, ice, ground, sand and other loose surfaces, as well as paved and other hard services as well as grass and light vegetation. It can make transitions between all the surfaces without need to stop or perform any modifications to the vehicle to transition between surfaces. This vehicle has advantages over other hovercraft and airboats that are designed with rigid frames and hulls. Based on a design using a flexible frame and structures that lean on flexible pontoon-skegs it can handle waves and obstacles without being damaged and it is not upset by a wide range of variations in terrain.

An air supported vessel comprising a basically V-shaped hull with a starboard keel part and a port keel part and with a V-shaped bow, which includes an outer bow support surface, where the basically V-shaped hull has at least one air cushion chamber in a substantial part of the basically V-shaped hull's length below the waterline, and where the air supported chamber is delimited by an air supported chamber ceiling, air supported chamber starboard and port side walls and with at least one aft closing device with an aft threshold that forms an aft delimitation of the air supported chamber and with at least an air supported chamber air intake which, together with the side wall of the air supported chamber in the bow, forms the front delimitation of the air supported chamber.

A reduced drag surface involves a perforated or porous surface exposed to a flowing fluid and a slip interface disposed between the surface and the flowing fluid, wherein the slip interface is formed from an entrapped fluid trapped at the surface. A method for modifying a drag coefficient on a reduced drag surface involves the steps of supplying a fluid to a perforated or porous surface exposed to a flowing fluid, wherein the surface traps the fluid at the surface to form an entrapped fluid and forming a slip interface between the surface and the flowing fluid, wherein the slip interface is formed from the entrapped fluid. An apparatus for a reduced drag surface includes the reduced drag surface described above and a source of fluid fluidically coupled to the surface such that the source supplied fluid to the surface to form the entrapped fluid.