Development of a Diver Biometric Device (DBD)

This project aims to develop a Diver Biometric Device (DBD) that will enable operational and medical research health assessment, and provide divers an indication of their health and performance status. The proposed design consists of a torso-worn suite of sensors that measure the diver’s vital signs, physiological signals (electrocardiogram (ECG), heart and respiration rates, skin and core temperature, blood oxygenation), and environmental parameters (body acceleration and orientation, ambient depth and temperature). These sensors will be used to detect biomedical, environmental, and equipment issues including drowning, heart failure, cardiac issues, thoracic barotrauma, hypo/hyperthermia, fatigue/stress, environmental hazard, gas supply hazard, external equipment and sensor faults. The DBD will produce a coarse (e.g. reg/orange/green) indicator of diver health, and record physiological data to internal memory.