Sporting a particular diving swimsuit designed to guard in opposition to the crushing strain of ocean depths, the diver discovered her goal — a model representing a human physique. The train was a part of a simulated crash restoration mission to check the capabilities of the Deep Sea Expeditionary with No Decompression (DSEND) system, which features a hardened but light-weight atmospheric dive swimsuit that includes rotating, removable joints permitting for larger dexterity, flexibility and maneuverability.
Sponsored by the Workplace of Naval Analysis (ONR) — in partnership with Naval Sea Techniques Command (NAVSEA), Naval Undersea Warfare Middle (NUWC) and Naval Floor Warfare Middle (NSWC) Panama Metropolis — DSEND lately underwent demonstrations at NSWC Carderock Division in Maryland and on the Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Florida.
“DSEND is actually a game-changer as a result of it’s a self-contained setting that retains inside strain regular, as a diver descends to depths with rising exterior strain,” mentioned Dr. Sandra Chapman, a program officer in ONR’s Warfighter Efficiency Division. “It will increase diver security, permits them to broaden the operational envelope and would get rid of prolonged decompression instances.”
Navy diving missions embrace deep ocean salvage of vessels and plane, underwater rescues, explosive ordnance disposal, ship hull upkeep and restoration of sunken gear.
The deeper divers descend, nonetheless, the larger the hazard from rising water strain. In deep-water conditions, Navy divers use a saturation system, or diving bell, that’s pressurized with fuel so the strain contained in the bell matches exterior strain.
The disadvantage is that, when returning to the floor, divers should ascend slowly and cease at intervals so that they don’t endure decompression illness. This can be a doubtlessly deadly situation through which the inert fuel dissolved within the blood and tissues by excessive strain kinds bubbles as strain decreases. Though the time-consuming ascent safeguards divers, it limits the quantity of hours they will spend at a web site.
DSEND’s one-atmosphere setting presents an answer to this problem. Outfitted with a self-contained life assist system, the DSEND swimsuit encloses a diver in a stabilized strain cocoon throughout all the dive. The diver can work at nice depths for a lot of hours and ascend with out the drawn-out strategy of decompression.
“As a result of DSEND maintains one constant strain ambiance, the diver isn’t uncovered to the unfavourable physiological results related to deep diving, resembling decompression illness, chilly and moist publicity,” mentioned Paul McMurtrie, NAVSEA diving methods program supervisor. “A diver can work for lengthy intervals of time in deep water and quickly return to the floor.”
Though constructed from exhausting, sturdy materials, DSEND is light-weight and permits customers to swim and stroll on the underside simply. This improves on atmospheric diving fits historically utilized by the Navy up to now, which had been extra inflexible and powered by connected thrusters, making it troublesome to maneuver round.
The swimsuit additionally is less complicated to don and take away, and might be adjusted to diver dimension. As well as, DSEND options joints, grippers and hand attachments comprised of novel supplies which can be robust, light-weight and mirror the pure actions of human joints, decreasing diver fatigue.
“DSEND will enable divers to conduct more durable missions by going deeper, executing quicker and working longer,” mentioned Tom Hansen, a analysis engineer at NUWC Division Newport, “all whereas being protected by a sensorized swimsuit of armor. It looks like we’re growing the futuristic sensible armor you see in films.”
In the course of the Maryland and Florida demos, DSEND divers accomplished numerous workout routines, together with pulling a model from an plane fuselage, rigging a chunk of wreckage for salvage and traversing makeshift tunnels representing sunken vessels.
Throughout the subsequent yr, Chapman hopes to see DSEND bear extra improvement, together with at-sea demos in lifelike working environments.
Navy Grasp Chief Jericho Diego, a grasp diver and the senior enlisted chief at NUWC Division Keyport, mentioned, “This technique has the potential to be very advantageous to Navy divers. Eliminating the necessity for decompression will increase security, and the extra versatile arm attachments enable us to retrieve targets and do our jobs extra successfully.”
Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Company Strategic Communications.
