The Atmospheric Diving System, ADS, is a revolutionary one man diving suit. This suit allows the diver to push past the 190 foot dive, which was once considered deep, to a remarkable 2000 feet. The ADS, which has been forged from a block of aluminum, splits in half by pivoting the top from the bottom to allow the diver to slip through the middle. Once inside and under water, the diver can easily operate the suit’s vertical and horizontal movement by foot peddles which control four external thrusters. A scrubber has been placed on the back of the ADS which first absorbs CO2 from the air in the suit and then adds more oxygen. This allows the diver to stay submerged for 50 hours without resurfacing. Not only does this 1100lb suit mobilize very quickly and sink unassisted, but it is also able to resurface from a 2000 foot depth in a mere 20 minute time frame. The external pressure on the suit from a 2000 foot dive is 890 lb per square inch, equivalent to having a 10 story building fall on your shoulders. Any other diver will experience pressure and have to decompress, but because the suit is always one atmosphere on the inside the diver will not experience any decompression sickness. It will remarkably be as if they never left land.
There are only four of the ADS in existence, all of which are owned by the US Army. Currently only three divers have reached the 2000 foot depth, but new students are being trained all the time. The suit itself won’t be used for rescues, but will be used to locate the submarine and make assessments before sending in a mini sub. The Atmospheric Diving System’s accessibility and versatility make it a powerful and useful tool in the event of an emergency.
