520: Underwater Diver GPS

We enhanced the accuracy of an underwater tracking system utilized by scuba divers in the Underwater Diver Project. Our sponsor, Professor Rassweiler, encountered issues with his original setup due to a drift in the rope. As a professor at Florida State University, he dedicates his research to studying and surveying coral reefs and their health over time. He consistently monitors the condition of coral and other marine features. Working closely with Professor Rassweiler, we focused on refining his methods for logging underwater locations.

Previously, Professor Rassweiler used a GPS tool floating in a waterproof case attached to him by rope while diving. While this system was easy to use and transport, it had low accuracy since GPS doesn’t work underwater. The rope between the diver and the surface varied in slack throughout the dive, causing errors in recording the exact location of the coral. The first model also gave no sense of the diver’s position relative to the GPS.

Our new prototype featured components such as a reel, a mobile phone and fins to improve accuracy. The final system used a floating waterproof box with fins mounted to the bottom surface to maintain accurate heading. A phone within the box logged location and heading data. The diver connected a dive rope with marked measurements to a manual reel attached to themselves. Whenever the diver wanted to note a point of interest, they recorded depth, time and line length on a waterproof notepad. This data could then be entered into a program to calculate precise underwater locations.