date of publication:
August 30, 2022 9:19 GMT
Update date: August 30, 2022 10:20 GMT
Researchers at the University of Washington succeeded in creating a messaging application they called “Aqua App” that works from underwater, solving a annoying limitation of technology, especially for amateurs and professionals.
Source: Mohamed Hanafi – Erm News
Researchers at the University of Washington succeeded in creating a messaging application they called “Aqua App” that works from underwater, solving an annoying limitation of technology, especially for diving enthusiasts and professionals. Because they lose signal and electronic communication under water.
According to a report published by TechCrunch on technology affairs, on Tuesday, the problem with underwater communications is that the latter absorbs radio waves, so that no signal sent or received by our phones can be transmitted more than a few inches without completely fading, and that is The reason is that divers rely on rope and similar traditional methods to communicate with their mates above the surface of the water.
The site added, that in return, sound waves travel through water quite easily, and countless aquatic species use them to communicate, but not among them are humans; Because the human voice method only works well through the air, divers communicate with each other underwater using their own hand signals and other gestures.
The application, implemented by the Mobile Intelligence Lab at the University of Washington, includes dozens of signals and vocabulary that divers communicate underwater.
According to Toshao Chen, a PhD student and the leader of the research team that created the app, Aqua App displays messages underwater using the loudspeaker and microphone widely available on smartphones and watches.
“Other than downloading the app to their phone, the only thing users will need is a waterproof phone case for scuba diving,” he said.
As the conditions for the transmission of signals that transform into audio signals change in a modified way, and are affected by surrounding fluctuations, the application is constantly resetting itself, and after testing it in lakes and bays with strong waves, the researchers found that they could communicate and exchange data reliably at a distance of more than 100 meters.