SCUBA Safety Product Proposal

[iwalkathinline]

Hello:

I am a computer science and engineering student at the University of Texas at Arlington. My team and I are currently developing a SCUBA Safety Monitor. This device will monitor the diver's vital signs and report any problems to the surface to facilitate critical decision-making.

We are looking for a sponsor to provide critical inputs on scuba industry standards, and answer any questions that we have along the way. I am a certified NAUI diver, and will share my contact info through a private message. Please contact me if you're interested.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Regards,
iwalkathinline

 

[JohnN]

And how do you propose getting these signals to the surface?

The US Navy has spent mega-bucks on VLF and ELF transmitters, outside of the environment impact, its not terribly practical.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

So who will be making these critical decisions? Some zero to hero instructor that teaches on their knees? And what parameters will be used to decide if a decision is necessary? And who will treat the victim, recover them, rescue them, etc.? And what happens when divers decide their vitals are none of your business? Who is the intended consumer? The recreational diver with more money than common sense? And will the system have universal monitoring zo expensive receivers are not necessary? I know, just run a wire to every diver! Will then require monitoring of vitals as they get entangled in the wires!

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[iwalkathinline]

And how do you propose getting these signals to the surface?

The US Navy has spent mega-bucks on VLF and ELF transmitters, outside of the environment impact, its not terribly practical.

Hi John, yes we have looked into VLF and that is an option for us. We're also looking into other wave forms that will transmit underwater.

---------- Post Merged at 04:15 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:11 PM ----------

So who will be making these critical decisions? Some zero to hero instructor that teaches on their knees? And what parameters will be used to decide if a decision is necessary? And who will treat the victim, recover them, rescue them, etc.? And what happens when divers decide their vitals are none of your business? Who is the intended consumer? The recreational diver with more money than common sense? And will the system have universal monitoring zo expensive receivers are not necessary? I know, just run a wire to every diver! Will then require monitoring of vitals as they get entangled in the wires!

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Who makes the decisions would not be part of our development process - that would be up to each customer to decide for themselves...

 

[JohnN]

I remain skeptical. . . My understanding is you can get about 20 meters with VLF, and when you do, you're looking at an effective rate of about 300 baud.

Without a good solution in hand, this seems like a pointless exercise.

Some back of the envelope calculations: speed of sound under water = 1500 m/s, at 30 Hz, a 1/4 wave antenna would be 1500/(30*4) = 12.5m
@ 3 Hz you're looking at 125m.

Neither seems very practical for a 'real' deployment. . .

certainly someone within your group has thought of this problem??

 

[Lorenzoid]

The OP said he's looking for a sponsor and someone to consult on scuba industry standards, not soliciting technical input. If I recall my own engineering school experiences, my and my fellow students' projects were fraught with impracticalities. It's a learning experience.

 

[Akimbo]

If your concept is sound, the best sponsor I can think of is the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Panama City, Florida. They are a wealth of information on what has not worked and could save you tons of effort in case you are chasing a dead-end. They can also give you vast amounts of information on testing methodology in addition to having the finest testing and evaluation capability in the world.

Nobody is as more interested in monitoring human endurance and safety underwater, to say nothing of having the resources to fund it.

Best of luck.

 

[JohnN]

The OP said he's looking for a sponsor and someone to consult on scuba industry standards, not soliciting technical input. If I recall my own engineering school experiences, my and my fellow students' projects were fraught with impracticalities. It's a learning experience.

Silly me, and I thought the purpose of engineering was to develop practical solutions. . .

 

[Wookie]

So who will be making these critical decisions? Some zero to hero instructor that teaches on their knees? And what parameters will be used to decide if a decision is necessary? And who will treat the victim, recover them, rescue them, etc.? And what happens when divers decide their vitals are none of your business? Who is the intended consumer? The recreational diver with more money than common sense? And will the system have universal monitoring zo expensive receivers are not necessary? I know, just run a wire to every diver! Will then require monitoring of vitals as they get entangled in the wires!

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

You need to get laid.... You're sounding like me.

To the OP. I'd be happy to work with you, although it would have been a lot easier back when I was in Texas instead of Florida. I can't put any cash into the project, but I can help with knowing who to ask for ideas or input. You can reach me at 281-300-4748 or spree@spreeexpeditions.com

---------- Post Merged at 05:58 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 05:58 PM ----------

Silly me, and I thought the purpose of engineering was to develop practical solutions. . .

The purpose of putting a man on the moon was not to develop teflon, it was just a nifty mistake along the way.....

 

[TSandM]

To the OP -- I'm an emergency room physician who is also a diver. I'd be happy to talk to you about vital sign monitoring and setting alarm parameters, if that would be useful to you. On the engineering side, I'm useless . . .