Even in crystal-clear water, it may be straightforward for scuba divers to lose observe of which means they’re heading. An experimental new underwater navigation system may assist preserve that from taking place, utilizing a mixture of electromagnetic waves and HUD (head-up show) tech.
Often called ScubaPOIs (Level Of Curiosity), the know-how is being developed by way of an Austrian-government-funded undertaking involving seven partnering institutes and organizations. On the coronary heart of the system is a bunch of a number of surface-floating buoys which get anchored across the space the place a dive is happening.
Every buoy makes use of a GNSS (World Navigation Satellite tv for pc System) module to determine its geographical location. That information is constantly transmitted from the buoy down into the water, within the type of electromagnetic alerts.
There are already similar systems which make the most of acoustic signals, however research point out that such alerts may be distressing and even dangerous to marine wildlife.
TU Graz
Though not all electromagnetic alerts journey nicely by means of water – that is why radio voice communication between divers is restricted to quick distances – the frequency utilized by ScubaPOIs is ready to journey to a depth of 100 m (328 ft) and over a horizontal distance of a minimum of 150 m (492 ft). These figures could enhance because the system is developed additional.
A small receiver unit on every diver picks up the buoys’ alerts, evaluating their power and course of origin. On this means, the gadget’s onboard software program is ready to triangulate the diver’s present geographical location relative to the buoys. That data is fed to a HUD module within the diver’s masks, which tasks a show telling them which technique to go in an effort to attain a given vacation spot.
TU Graz
“The largest problem for us was calculating the propagation of the electromagnetic alerts underwater in an effort to acquire the suitable distance values,” says Dr. Philipp Berglez of Austria’s Graz College of Expertise. “The properties of the water, similar to salinity, temperature, depth or conductivity, have a serious affect right here.”
Importantly, in checks carried out on golden rainbow trout, the environmentally delicate fish did not present any antagonistic results even 4 months after being subjected to the kind of electromagnetic alerts used within the system.
It’s hoped that ScubaPOIs could in the end discover use in functions similar to vacationer diving, aquatic ecology and underwater archaeology.
Supply: TU Graz
