The United States Navy SEALs are called “SEALs” because of the acronym that details the environments in which they operate (Sea Air Land). The primary special operations force for this aqueous branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, their link to the semi-aquatic marine mammals of the same name is only somewhat symbolic — pretty nominal.

That all could change (sort of) if a new technology from those crazy kids at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) called “PowerSwim” takes off.

This from We Are The Mighty:

“Technically it’s called an oscillating foil propulsion device,” DARPA program manager Jay Lowell says, in a video from DARPA TV. “That’s a really fancy way of saying it’s a wing that helps push a diver through the water.”

The typical swimmer fins are no more than 15 percent efficient in their conversion of human exertion. By contrast, PowerSwim helps divers swim 80 percent more efficient. This dramatic improvement in swimming efficiency will enable a subsurface swimmer to move up to two times faster than what’s currently possible, improving performance, safety, and range, according to DARPA.