Illuminating the Depths: DAVD Display Enhances Navigation for Navy Divers in Undersea Environments

Dr. Sandra Chapman, an accomplished program officer within the Office of Naval Research’s Warfighter Performance Department, often reflects on a cherished memory from her childhood. In this nostalgic remembrance, she recalls visiting the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor with her father, a place that left an indelible mark on her. Their frequent visits allowed them to memorize the lines from the film shown prior to boarding the boat to the memorial. This profound connection to history serves as more than a personal memory; it frames her dedication to preserving the area surrounding the memorial, which has been reinvented through cutting-edge technology.

At the forefront of this technological revolution is the Divers Augmented Vision Display, or DAVD, a groundbreaking system developed in concert with Naval Sea Systems Command and Coda Octopus. Designed to enhance the operational efficiency of Navy divers, DAVD addresses the daunting challenges present in inhospitable underwater environments. Its development showcases a collaborative effort to blend engineering with real-time data-sharing capabilities, ensuring divers can navigate and operate safely where visibility is often limited.

With DAVD, Navy divers gain access to a heads-up display that mirrors the functionality of virtual-reality goggles. This immersive tool is adaptable to any Navy dive helmet, enabling servicemen and women to harness high-resolution imagery and augmented reality to facilitate more effective operations underwater. According to Chapman, this technology dramatically transforms how divers interact with their environments, providing visual enhancements that illuminate otherwise obscured waters filled with potential hazards such as rocky formations and submerged debris.

Diving missions undertaken by the Navy are multifaceted, designed for deep ocean salvage operations, underwater rescues, or even explosive ordnance disposal. Each undertaking requires absolute precision and an acute understanding of the divers’ surroundings. Unfortunately, these extremely low-visibility environments can pose significant risks. However, with DAVD, Navy divers are not only equipped to see better but can effectively communicate vital information back to the surface team, a critical component for mission success.

The intricate framework of the DAVD system incorporates several key elements that ensure it meets the stringent demands placed upon Navy divers. At its core are the augmented-reality software capabilities, allowing sonar images and other critical data to be overlaid directly onto a diver’s visual field. This merging of digital and physical realities fosters an unparalleled awareness of the environment, giving Navy divers a tactical edge, particularly in perilous conditions that can necessitate immediate reaction and adaptability.

While utilizing the DAVD system, divers maintain real-time connectivity to a support ship or platform via a series of cables. This tethering is not merely a lifeline but a conduit for transmitting crucial operational data, which includes ascent and descent rates, elapsed dive time, current and maximum depth, and critical levels of breathing gas. Such comprehensive monitoring ensures that divers can maintain situational awareness while focused on completing their missions.

Drawing on pre-dive sonar imagery, DAVD’s systems can construct precise 3D models of underwater sites. This feature proves indispensable not just for navigational purposes, but also for training and mission preparation, providing divers critical insights before they ever enter the water. In addition to visual constructs, the system allows divers to receive and utilize various forms of data, including instructional videos, technical manuals, images, and messages, facilitating an efficient and informed dive experience.

The innovations represented by DAVD have not gone unnoticed among those who rely on it during operations. Lt. Matthew Coleman, a NAVSEA assistant focused on salvage operations, praised the system as transformative within the diving community. “It provides an extraordinarily detailed view of the underwater landscape,” he stated, underscoring that the enhanced clarity leads to improved operational effectiveness across a range of missions.

The genesis of DAVD can be traced back to 2019, a year when the Office of Naval Research began sponsoring the development of this vital technology. Armed with direct feedback from NAVSEA, the project sought to fulfill an identified need for enhanced diver visibility in the underwater domain. Subsequently, DAVD transitioned into ONR’s Future Naval Capabilities program, aiming to not only finalize the technology’s development but also to integrate it into naval programs for regular use.

Over the years, multiple iterations of the DAVD have undergone rigorous testing, culminating in the latest version that entered service in 2023. Presently, approximately 15 systems are actively deployed across nine naval commands, showcasing the versatility of DAVD in both naval and civil operations. A notable instance of its application was witnessed in the response to the catastrophic wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, where Navy divers utilized DAVD to recover and locate 26 boats that sank during the disaster.

Furthermore, the capabilities of DAVD extended beyond individual missions; it played a pivotal role in the salvage operations following the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. The system’s ability to create formidable 3D imaging proved invaluable for conducting rapid assessments and facilitating recovery efforts in complex underwater environments. Moreover, DAVD was instrumental in the mapping of waters surrounding the sunken USS Arizona, designed to aid the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the National Park Service in evaluating the condition of the submerged structures that had degraded over decades.

Looking ahead, both Chapman and her counterpart, Paul McMurtrie, NAVSEA diving systems program manager, envision continual enhancements to the DAVD system. Potential upgrades include the integration of GPS technology for precise geolocation, as well as advancements in physiological monitoring, perhaps even exploring capabilities such as eye-tracking. The aspiration is similarly directed toward creating a wireless version of DAVD, removing the tether connecting divers to surface support, allowing for even greater operational flexibility.

The commitment to iterative improvement is framed by a philosophy of responsiveness to technological needs echoed by McMurtrie. “Like how your iPhone is on a constant cycle of updates,” he articulated, highlighting the importance of gathering feedback from active users to refine and modernize the system. Through such continuous engagement with the diving community, DAVD is poised not only to meet current operational demands but also to adapt as those requirements evolve, ensuring it remains a cornerstone of Navy operations for years to come.

Ultimately, the introduction of DAVD stands as a testament to the potential of cohesive interdisciplinary partnerships within the realms of technology, engineering, and military service. By leveraging a robust framework of innovation, the U.S. Navy is not merely enhancing its diving capabilities but is redefining standards for underwater operations, making significant strides in both safety and efficacy in challenging environments.

Subject of Research: Divers Augmented Vision Display (DAVD)
Article Title: Groundbreaking Technology Enhances Navy Divers’ Capabilities with Augmented Vision
News Publication Date: October 2023
Web References: Office of Naval Research
References: N/A
Image Credits: Photo courtesy of Coda Octopus

Keywords

Divers Augmented Vision Display, Navy divers, underwater technology, augmented reality, Navy operations, virtual reality, sonar imaging, safety in diving, real-time data sharing, naval technology innovations.