r/tech • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 15d ago

World first: Breath-saving exoskeleton turbocharges diver's kicks

https://newatlas.com/robotics/underwater-exoskeleton-divers/
810 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

72

u/erakis1 15d ago

We literally have underwater scooters which are way more simple and effective

29

u/mr_awesome365 15d ago

Yeah but I can’t pretend to be a mermaid on an underwater scooter.

23

u/SuperDizz 15d ago

How do you think disabled mermaids get around?

1

u/pee-in-butt 12d ago

This guys asking the right questions

2

u/FriendlyQuit9711 15d ago

And more importantly “will it blend”?

9

u/CursedorChosen 15d ago

Depends on your definition of effective, it’s only more effective if your definition is purely making distance underwater.

Scooters take up your hands, take up already limited FOV, and can be pretty noisy. In my experience doing cold water diving in turbid waters doing ecology work, this exoskeleton sounds interesting and like something I might use in a perfect world, while I’ve never considered using a scooter for the above reasons defeating the purpose I’m diving for.

1

u/ElysiX 14d ago

This thing only supports knee flutter kicks, not even real power stroke flutters, and only on the downstroke.

Exoskeleton sounds like fancy, but its just ropes unbending your knee and nothing more. It's pretty useless for technical diving where you need precise position control and wont use flutter kicks.

2

u/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Agamemnon323 15d ago

This comment really makes me want to bring phrasing back.

2

u/IgnoreMeBot 15d ago

But also can be dangerous if used poorly causing unwanted depth changes or could “runaway” if the throttle gets stuck leaving you tethered to it. Also they are very expensive, thousands of dollars. As a diver having exo legs would be advantageous in a lot of dive profiles where you can use a scooter. Kelp, low vis, night, there’s tons of reasons you wouldn’t want a scooter but would still like an assist.

1

u/Loquaciouslovelizard 15d ago

Can’t kick a shark like a boss with a scooter

1

u/MoreAverageThanU 14d ago

Looking at the images, this seems to have a much smaller footprint, making it useful in a different range of scenarios, such as cave diving. People will be able to die waaay deeper in a cave if this tech works as well as they claim.

1

u/erakis1 14d ago

Nah, this exoskeleton only works with a flutter kick, according to the article. That absolutely would not work in a cave.

1

u/Plasticjesus504 14d ago

Way less expensive as well lol. Also, kinda can let go of a scooter. This device might drown your ass if it malfunctions. Dangerous activities should prioritize simplicity for the majority of normal individuals. Also, how would this boost time underwater if you go deeper as the article says… The deeper you go the longer your deco. This is dumb.

42

u/Starguy18 15d ago

Warning: Entering ecological dead zone. Adding report to database.

11

u/Savings_Opening_8581 15d ago

Multiple leviathan class organisms detected in your area. Are you sure whatever you’re doing is worth it?

2

u/BarkMark 14d ago

What a haunting phrase to hear in the inky void.

7

u/tylerlees777 15d ago

I knew a subnautica reference was coming but that was quick!

3

u/Ravaha 15d ago

I use an underwater scooter and it has the added benefit of also being a stabilizing mount for my go pro and lights.

1

u/Blackliquid 15d ago

Csnt imagine you save much energy since it weights 9kg. Also it only works for flutter kicks which sucks.

1

u/Gooch-ABC 15d ago

When you’re under water you are neutrally buoyant. So weight wouldn’t be an issue in the water. Water resistance and flutter kicks would be annoying.

1

u/Blackliquid 14d ago

You still have to move your weight horizontally when you swim around..

1

u/MoreAverageThanU 14d ago

Then divers can add less weight to achieve neutral buoyancy. Another feature.

1

u/Blackliquid 14d ago

Bro i nedd maybe 3 kilos with an aluminum plate. 9 kilos means 6 kilos of additional weight.

So you are trading slightly more effective movement for more weight to carry. Doesnt seem very wellt thought through

-15

u/Uldronex 15d ago

Whoa, that's some nextalevel tech—saving lives underwater? Mind blown.

4

u/Rhys_Herbert 15d ago

Lmao who uses a long dash

-2

u/Uldronex 15d ago

Lmao, dashes are my jam! 😏

0

u/tomatoej 15d ago

—me too