Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a groundbreaking underwater navigation system that allows divers to precisely navigate using GNSS-supported buoys and electromagnetic signals, eliminating the need for harmful sonar-based methods. The innovation, part of the FFG project ScubaPOIs, uses a head-up display (HUD) mounted inside diving masks to guide divers safely to destinations, back to boats, or around restricted areas, while also ensuring quick location in emergencies.
Unlike traditional acoustic navigation, this system avoids high sound pressure levels that stress marine fauna. Instead, buoys determine their position using Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) GNSS and transmit electromagnetic signals, which are received by a compact device carried by divers. Position and depth are calculated via trilateration.
“Modeling electromagnetic wave propagation underwater was the greatest challenge due to variables like salinity, temperature, and conductivity,” explained Philipp Berglez of TU Graz’s Institute of Geodesy. Successful trials achieved horizontal signal transmission up to 150 meters, with future potential to reach depths of 100 meters.
Applications span tourism, where HUD-equipped masks guide recreational divers to underwater attractions, as well as aquatic ecology, underwater archaeology, and waste documentation. Tests on golden rainbow trout confirmed the system’s safety, showing no behavioral changes even months after exposure.
Developed in collaboration with pentamap GmbH, 1st-Relief GmbH, Oxygen Scientific GmbH, Disaster Competence Network Austria, and the Austrian Centre for Research Diving, the project prioritizes both diver safety and marine ecosystem preservation.
Source: TU Graz
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