Introducing the DPX ORION: Underwater Tablet Platform for Divers

Innovasub is a spin-off company located in Rosette, Italy, that develops innovative underwater technologies for recreational and commercial divers through collaboration with universities, governmental organizations, and industry leaders. The Innovasub team has successfully implemented outstanding underwater applications and continues to bring new products to the market. To that end, three years ago, they analyzed the underwater navigation slate that was being used by combat divers and decided to build a more modern tablet system which would offer divers a more sophisticated alternative to a compass, depth gauge, timer and writing slate. The new system’s core elements would consist of a housing for smart tablets and a stylus pen that would access and interact with the tablets underwater. 

 Innovasub named their hydro-dynamic tablet carrier “Sea Falcon,” in homage to “Millenium Falcon,” the interstellar navigation starship in the Star Wars series. Sea Falcon, in addition to being water-tight to protect the tablet housing, also carries some impressive auxiliary tools.

The development process evolved into an open platform to allow other parties to add products and applications to the existing one and called their product the ORION PLATFORM, named after the brightest star constellation in the sky. 

The main element of the Orion Platform is a housing for tablets (DPX-Shield)  with a stylus (DPX-3 Dagger) that can be used underwater to access the display. This platform includes both end user products, such as a 3D mapping program, a dive computer app, visual sensus apps, UW messaging, and UW navigation, but it also offers the researchers, developers, and designers a platform to bring new devices and new apps to the diving industry.

Innovasub first introduced the Orion Platform on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign offers the core components of the system (Housing, Carrier, Stylus, Wireless Temperature and depth sensor) and 3-D mapping services; while Innovasub also opens its codes to App developers and device designers. See: DPX ORION: Underwater Tablet Platform for Divers

If the first stage is successful, Innovasub will begin with the second phase—underwater messaging, data transmission, and acoustic GPS based navigation.