Contender, 6th in the World


Stuart Karten, Dennis Schroeder, Paul Kirley, Eric Olson of Stuart Karten Design


Underwater Camping Stove



>>what is it?
The STUBA is a seafood aficionado and open-water diver's dream. It is a self-propelled, self-contained cooking apparatus that allows the user to shop for sustenance in the world's largest seafood market - the ocean.

It is targeted toward a rapidly expanding market of scuba divers, snorkelers, food connoisseurs and water lovers who plan their vacations around the sea. The STUBA is designed to be tethered to a diver as he or she spear-fishes or collects crustaceans and shellfish directly from the sea. For the ultimate fresh food experience, the catch is immediately placed inside the glass cooking container to cook in its own water. The unit simultaneously activates its internal buoyancy controls. Upon being released by the diver, the STUBA automatically heads for the surface, activating it's signal flag for pickup by awaiting nearby boats.

On a drift dive excursion, divers load and release their STUBA units as they drift with the current, leaving chase boats to pick them up as they reach the surface. By releasing their catch immediately, divers are no longer forced to drag their catches behind them in mesh nets and minimizing their chances of becoming prey for bigger fish with sharper teeth.

The Procedure:
1. Fish, shellfish and crustaceans re caught or collected.

2. They are then placed in the cooking canister accompanied with the surrounding seawater, kelp and seasoning packets that automatically release their contents upon initiating cooking sequence.

3. The STUBA is set to cook and is released for its timed ascent to the surface where it is picked up by the awaiting dive boat.

4. Contents are emptied and the feast commences.

>>what makes this design different or better? (e.g. materials, research)
The STUBA is an entirely new product without precedent. The user harvests foodstuffs directly from the sea and inserts them directly into the cooking unit's capsule whereupon it immediately begins the cooking process. There are no intermediary steps. It provides the seafood lover and diving enthusiast with the ultimate fresh fish experience.

>>what hardware and software were used to design it?
The concept model is built out of wood, plastic, foam, milled aluminum and copper tubing. The montage was created in Adobe Photoshop using an Apple Power Macintosh.

>>how is it intended to be manufactured or produced?
As mentioned above the concept model is built out of wood, plastic, foam, milled aluminum and copper tubing . Actual STUBA units would be fabricated partially or entirely from recycled glass, plastic, aluminum and copper. Using materials gathered during dive site cleanups would bring attention to mankind's abuse of the ocean environment and the careless littering of the sea floor.

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