This Bikini Could Help Clean Up The Ocean

The latest in bikini technology is fashion with a cause (beyond provide support and coverage) – the makers of this bikini plan to save the ocean. Sure, it sounds a little farfetched, but according to engineers at the University of California, Riverside, after four years they've created a reusable fabric they call "Sponge" that repels water while absorbing contaminants in the water. The 3D printed bikini, designed by the firm Eray Carbajo and described as being a "net-like cage that forms to the body," is made from a heated form of sugar called sucrose and can clean up oil, chemical spills or desalinizing water "one stroke at a time." “This is a super material that is not harmful to the environment and very cost effective to produce,” Mihri Ozkan, one of the engineers who worked on the two-piece, said. The material, which they say could also be incorporated into other wearable items like one pieces, swimming caps and wet suits, is able to absorb 25 times its own weight, trapping the pollutants in the "inner pores of the sponge material" and keeping it from ever touching a person's skin. The engineers say the material can be used up to 20 times before it needs to be replaced. And, yes, it is recyclable. No word yet on when the swimsuit, which recently won an international design competition, will be in stores. Watch the video below to learn more about this environmentally friendly bathing suit.