TECH

Scientists at the University of Washington have developed an app for divers to communicate underwater

Experts at the University of Washington have developed an original app that will allow divers to exchange messages underwater using smartphones. It's called AquaApp and it supports smartwatches, among other things.

The idea is that you can't send data via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi underwater because it dampens high-frequency radio waves. However, there is a solution - use the audio track. The program generates certain sounds through the smartphone's speaker, which are perceived by the microphone of another device and allow the exchange of information.

The messenger includes a set of icons, each of which corresponds to a certain gesture, which are used for communication. Also, you can create your own icon sets. Previously, divers could only use normal gestures, but this does not work in low visibility conditions.

The app also includes a noise reduction algorithm that cleans information from distortion. Early tests showed that messages can be sent at 50 meters in calm water and 30 meters in strong currents. In exceptional cases, it is possible to transmit a message at a distance of up to 100 meters. The application code is already published on Github. There is an Android-only version.

mundophone