A Chinese farmer has been granted a patent by the State Intellectual Property Office for his personal submarine built right at home.

The farmer, 51-year-old Zhang Shengwu from Anhui province in eastern China, has invented a personal submarine built from scratch using 5mm-thick steel plates, reports QQ.com. He reportedly got the idea after watching a TV show about inventions.

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Zhang had come up with the idea to build a personal submarine in 2014, but the thought was dismissed by his wife, saying that it’s difficult, is dangerous to ride in, and is expensive, reports China Daily. Zhang, however, was not discouraged from building his submersible and worked on it for the next two months while his wife was visiting her mother and away from home.

Zhang’s finished project is a genuine submarine that can only fit one person, measuring 6 meters long and 60 cm wide. It is driven by a motor used for tricycles and is powered by four 12-volt batteries. Because it doesn’t have air tanks or air supply paraphernalia and only relies on a pipe to ‘breathe,’ Zhang’s submarine can only dive to a depth of one meter. However, it can cruise at speeds of up to 7 nautical miles per hour, which isn’t so bad.

Even more surprising is the fact that Zhang was able to build his personal submarine at a total cost of 5,000 yuan (USD $770). Officials from the State Intellectual Property Office were so impressed with Zhang’s invention that they issued him a patent for it in February.

Asked about his plans for future inventions, Zhang said he wants to make a new rescue boat that could help people in need.

Chinese Ingenuity

The Chinese are really good inventors indeed. Earlier it is reported that new technologies, such as the first-ever commercial jetpack, the Martin Jetpack, and China’s first-ever autonomous security robot “AnBot” have both been revealed.

Earlier in 2014, a Chinese farmer has also built his own orange-colored submarine called the “Happy Lamb,” reports the Agence-France Presse. Its maker, then-44-year-old Tan Yong boasted that he never studied for it, and it is solely built upon his imagination.

The “Happy Lamb” reportedly cost about 32,400 yuan (about $5,000) to build, but unlike Zhang’s, it can dive to depths nearly 8 meters deep, and can stay submerged for up to 45 minutes.

TagsZhang Shengwu, submarine, Patent, Anhui, personal submarine