Underwater Messaging Using Mobile Devices
Tuochao Chen, Justin Chan, Shyamnath Gollakota

TL;DR
This paper introduces a novel software-based underwater messaging system that utilizes existing mobile device microphones and speakers, enabling real-time acoustic communication in underwater environments without specialized hardware.
Contribution
It presents the first acoustic underwater messaging system compatible with standard mobile devices, adapting to environmental changes and demonstrating practical real-world performance.
Findings
Achieves bit rates of 100 bps to 1.8 kbps at 30 m range
Can extend range to 100 m at lower bit rates
Successfully operates in diverse real-world underwater environments
Abstract
Since its inception, underwater digital acoustic communication has required custom hardware that neither has the economies of scale nor is pervasive. We present the first acoustic system that brings underwater messaging capabilities to existing mobile devices like smartphones and smart watches. Our software-only solution leverages audio sensors, i.e., microphones and speakers, ubiquitous in today's devices to enable acoustic underwater communication between mobile devices. To achieve this, we design a communication system that in real-time adapts to differences in frequency responses across mobile devices, changes in multipath and noise levels at different locations and dynamic channel changes due to mobility. We evaluate our system in six different real-world underwater environments with depths of 2-15 m in the presence of boats, ships and people fishing and kayaking. Our results show…
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