Haptic awareness system
Feel the unseen
AquaSync is a wearable haptic system for divers. It turns information into touch, so you can sense direction and warnings without looking at a screen.
Patent pending. Prototype in development.
Welcome to your sixth sense
Our first film, in sixty seconds.
Concept film. Scenes marked "Future development" show capabilities that are planned, not yet built.
What the ocean takes
Sight
Visibility drops, light fades, and what's beside or behind you disappears.
Direction
Without a horizon or landmarks, it's easy to lose track of where you're heading.
Your buddy
The people you dive with can drift out of view in seconds.
Warning
Sound carries poorly, and screens only help when you remember to look at them.
AquaSync gives some of that awareness back, through the one sense the water leaves alone: touch.
A language you feel
The first AquaSync vest places eight coin-sized haptic motors at your shoulders, ribs and lower torso, six on the front and two at the back of the shoulders. Each one vibrates on its own, so where you feel a pulse, how long it lasts, and how often it repeats can all carry meaning.
Try a few signals:
Watch a pulse travel around all eight points, or pick a signal. A pulse along your left side: something to your left, or turn left. A pulse along your right side: something to your right, or turn right. Two light taps on the front shoulders: a quiet confirmation that all is well. Every point, longer and stronger, repeating: stop and check your surroundings.
These patterns are illustrative. The final AquaSync language will be shaped by testing with real divers.
Built around your gear, not over it
Works with your BCD
The first AquaSync is a standalone vest. You keep the buoyancy compensator you already trust.
Stays out of the way
Haptic points sit clear of straps, the cummerbund, inflator hardware and tank mounting, so nothing changes how your BCD works.
Slim by design
Each haptic motor is planned to be about the size of a dime and only a few millimeters thick, wired inside the seams to a single controller and battery.
Where we are
AquaSync is being built one proven step at a time. Here's an honest look at what works today and what comes next.
- Touch from codeThe controller drives a haptic motor on commandProven
- Sensing motionA motion sensor reports movement to the controllerProven
- Closing the loopMovement is detected and answered with a vibrationProven
- Multiple haptic zonesIndependent control of several points on the bodyIn progress
- Haptic languageTesting which patterns divers recognize reliablyPlanned
- Wearable prototypeElectronics integrated into the vestPlanned
- Waterproofing and reliabilityUnderwater operation and durability testingPlanned
- Diver testingRecognition, comfort and BCD compatibility in the waterPlanned
- Manufacturing prototypeRepeatable construction and production documentationPlanned
- Full V1 demonstrationThe complete vest, shown to partners and investorsPlanned
From vest to platform
V1 is in development today. V2 through V4 are where we're headed.
The AquaSync vest
A standalone eight-point haptic vest that works alongside your existing BCD. It's how we prove the haptic language in the water.
AquaSync Ready
BCDs made with an established manufacturer, with dedicated space and attachment points designed for AquaSync.
Fully integrated
Haptics built directly into a purpose-made BCD, turning the diver's own body into the interface.
Full-body AquaSync suit
A complete wetsuit with haptics built in and bone-conduction audio for music and spoken cues. Connect over Bluetooth before the dive to upload your music and choose from thousands of other things to bring with you, then use the companion app to set up, review and share your dives.
Help build it
AquaSync was founded by Nicholas Martz. We're looking for people who want to help bring a new sense underwater.
- Investors in early-stage hardware
- Manufacturers and BCD makers
- Embedded and wearable engineers
- Divers who want to help test