Researchers Developing 'Underwater Internet'

The team dropped two 40lb (18kg) sensors into a lake near Buffalo

Researchers have tested an "underwater wi-fi" network in a lake in an attempt to make a "deep-sea internet".

University at Buffalo researchers are developing a deep-sea computer network , the idea has practical implications. The current systems which track changes in the environment, for instance, including tsunamis and other emergencies, currently lack an easy way to communicate with each other.

Oil exploration, surveillance and pollution monitoring are also hindered by current systems, which are not standardised in the same way as networks above-water.

"A submerged wireless network will give us an unprecedented ability to collect and analyze data from our oceans in real time," Tommaso Melodia, UB associate professor of electrical engineering and the project's lead researcher. "Making this information available to anyone with a smartphone or computer, especially when a tsunami or other type of disaster occurs, could help save lives."

The framework Melodia and his team are developing would transmit data from existing and planned underwater sensor networks to laptops, smartphones, and other wireless devices in real time. It also would allow the many disparate underwater communication systems around the world to communicate with each other, effectively creating a deep-sea Internet.

They aim to create an agreed standard for underwater communications, to make interaction and data-sharing easier.

Unlike normal wi-fi, which uses radio waves, the submerged network technology utilises sound waves.

Radio waves are able to penetrate water, but with severely limited range and stability. Sound waves provide a better option - as demonstrated by many aquatic species such as whales and dolphins.

The bulky underwater modems emit high-pitched chirps that can travel as far as about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer). The University at Buffalo team recently tested the system in Lake Erie, dropping two 40-pound (18 kilograms) sensors into the water and listening for chirps. The modems are as slow as dial-up phone systems from 30 years ago. However, the researchers hope one day a speedier wireless network could improve tsunami warning systems or help monitor oceans and climate.