Aqua-Fi could bring underwater internet to divers

News

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have developed Aqua-Fi, an aquatic form of underwater internet that sends data through light beams.

The research, detailed in IEEE Communications Magazine, could enable divers to instantly transmit footage from under the sea to the surface. It would also allow divers to communicate without hand signals.

Subsea IoUT enabled by light and energy transfer

“People from both academia and industry want to monitor and explore underwater environments in detail,” said first author, Basem Shihada, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).

Underwater communication is possible with radio, acoustic and visible light signals. According to KAUST, radio can only carry data over short distances, while acoustic signals support long distances, but with a limited data rate. Visible light travels far and carries lots of data, but the narrow light beams require a clear line of sight between the transmitters and receivers.

Aqua-Fi is an underwater wireless system that supports internet services, such as sending multimedia messages using either LEDs or lasers. LEDs provide a low-energy option for short-distance communication, while lasers can carry data further, but need more power.

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