Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an app, called AquaApp, capable of allowing communication via instant messaging in underwater environments.
Under water, radio waves are absorbed by the liquid element, but not sound waves, which are easily transmitted.
Divers already have their own language of signs to be able to communicate through hand gestures when they are underwater since the respirators (or simply being underwater) prevent them from doing so by voice.
With AquaApp sound signals can be used to send messages to other divers from a smartphone. Something that will be within the reach of both professionals and recreational divers willing to share their underwater experiences on social networks.
First of all, it must be remembered that radio waves are absorbed underwater and, therefore, it is not an efficient medium for communication. In return, the sound waves are transmitted very easily and it is this support that the application developed by the UW uses.
Is about an experimental development of the Intelligence Laboratory of the UW that is based on the speaker of the telephone to emit a series of high-frequency sounds through which the message is transmitted. Divers and divers interested in communicating with AquaApp will only need, in addition to installing the application itself, a waterproof case for their smartphone.
However, communication by this method is not easy since the ever-changing water conditions make the very medium by which the acoustic signal is transmitted vary. From the tides and waves to the movement of the divers themselves or vibrations from nearby boats can interfere with communication, which is why the UW researchers confess that even must continue to work in real environments to improve the operation of the application.
In the first tests, carried out in a bay with strong waves, they have achieved reliable connections over distances of up to 100 meterswith a low data transmission rate, but still sufficient to communicate simple indications corresponding to the traditional signs of the underwater communication language.
AquaApp is an open source application and is available on the GitHub repository for download by anyone who wants to use it.
