Wearable devices in diving: A systematic review (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Wearable devices have grown enormously in importance in recent years. While wearables have generally been well studied, they have not yet been discussed in the underwater environment. OBJECTIVE The reason for this systematic review was to systematically search for the wearables for underwater operation used in the scientific literature, to make a comprehensive map of their capabilities and features, and to discuss the general direction of development. METHODS In September 2021, we conducted an extensively search of existing literature in the largest databases using keywords. For this purpose, only articles were used that contained a wearable or device that can be used in diving. Only articles in English were considered, as well as peer-reviewed articles. RESULTS In the 36 relevant studies that were found, four device categories could be identified: safety devices, underwater communication devices, head-up displays and underwater human-computer interaction devices. CONCLUSIONS The possibilities and challenges of the respective technologies were considered and evaluated separately. Underwater communication has the most significant influence on future developments. Another topic that has not received enough attention is human-computer interaction.