If you’ve ever tried scuba diving or even just spent time swimming with fins, you know how quickly the water can drain your energy. Every kick takes effort, and the deeper you go, the more you feel the water pushing back. Now imagine being able to glide underwater with far less strain on your legs and using much less air from your tank. That’s exactly the future a research team from Peking University is working toward, and their latest breakthrough is something that could change underwater exploration forever.
Led by Professor Wang Qining from the School of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, the team has officially developed the world’s first portable underwater exoskeleton designed specifically to help divers move more efficiently. It focuses on assisting knee movement during one of the most common swimming styles used underwater: the flutter kick. The result is not just a gentler experience for divers, but one that significantly reduces muscle load and air consumption—two of the biggest factors that limit how long someone can stay underwater.
This isn’t just a cool gadget. It’s a major leap forward in how we might explore, study, and work beneath the surface.
Why Moving Underwater Is So Much Harder Than It Looks
Even though the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the planet, it remains one of our least explored spaces. That’s partly because moving underwater requires far more energy than moving on land. Anyone who has worn scuba equipment knows the feeling of constantly fighting water resistance. Every movement is a negotiation with the surrounding environment, and unlike walking, diving demands that your legs and core work almost nonstop.
On land, wearable exoskeletons have already proven to be powerful tools for reducing physical effort in activities like walking, running, hiking, and even industrial labor. They work because the environment is predictable and gravity behaves consistently. Translating that same concept into an underwater world, where buoyancy, drag, and unique movement patterns come into play, has not been simple. Water changes everything. It slows you down, it resists your movements from every angle, and it requires a completely different approach to biomechanics.
For years, researchers have tried to adapt exoskeleton technology to underwater conditions, but the challenges were enormous. Traditional designs didn’t match the fluid, sweeping motions divers use. Materials that work on land often struggle with corrosion or pressure changes underwater. Even control systems that rely on precise timing and torque needed major rethinking.
That’s why this new development from Professor Wang’s team is so exciting. It’s not just a small improvement. It’s the first real sign that underwater exoskeletons can be both practical and genuinely helpful.
Bringing Robotics Beneath the Waves
The team’s underwater exoskeleton focuses on assisting the diver’s knee during fin-powered swimming. At first glance, that might seem like a small detail, but the knee plays a huge role in the flutter kick. Every kick demands that the quadriceps and calf muscles work continuously, and after a while, that takes a toll on a diver’s stamina.
To solve this, the researchers designed a bilateral cable-driven system that attaches to each leg. Instead of using bulky motors directly on the body, the exoskeleton uses cables and pulleys to deliver assistance smoothly. This design helps keep the device lightweight and portable, which is crucial for anything used underwater. Divers need freedom of movement, and any extra equipment has to feel like a natural extension of the body—not a burden.
What makes the system particularly impressive is its control method. Using motion sensors and force-based algorithms, the exoskeleton can detect where the diver is in the kicking cycle and apply torque exactly when the knee needs support. It’s not guessing and it’s not blindly pushing. It’s reacting in real time, adjusting itself moment by moment based on how the diver actually moves.
This ability to sync with the diver’s natural rhythm is one of the biggest reasons the system works so well. The goal is not to overpower the diver but to ease the workload, allowing them to conserve both energy and air.
Real Divers, Real Results
To see how well the system worked, the team conducted tests with six experienced divers. Each diver performed underwater swimming with and without the powered exoskeleton, giving the researchers a clear picture of how much difference the device made.
The results were more than encouraging. When using the exoskeleton, divers saw a drop of 22.7 percent in air consumption. That number alone is staggering. Air is everything underwater. Using less of it means staying down longer, traveling farther, and completing more tasks before resurfacing.
The benefits didn’t stop there. Quadriceps activation decreased by 20.9 percent, and calf activation dropped by 20.6 percent. In simpler terms, the divers weren’t working their muscles nearly as hard, yet they were moving just as effectively. Importantly, they also maintained natural movement patterns. The exoskeleton didn’t force them into strange or robotic motions; it simply helped them perform the same kicks with less effort.
This natural compatibility is key. If a system feels awkward or restrictive, divers won’t want to use it. But when something feels intuitive and supportive, it becomes a true asset.
A Breakthrough That Could Redefine Underwater Work
Being the first portable underwater exoskeleton capable of enhancing diving performance is a big claim, but the research backs it up. Until now, underwater exoskeletons have either been concepts on paper or bulky systems designed for very specific industrial tasks. This creation is portable, wearable, and usable in everyday diving scenarios.
Imagine marine biologists who need to stay underwater for long sessions while studying coral reefs. Imagine underwater construction workers who spend hours repairing structures, pipes, or cables. Imagine training environments where student divers can learn proper kicking techniques while reducing fatigue.
This technology could extend dive durations, increase safety margins, and reduce long-term physical strain, especially for professionals who dive frequently. It also opens new possibilities for divers who may not have the same physical endurance but still want to participate in scientific or recreational diving.
And as an added bonus, studying how divers adapt to this assistance gives researchers new insight into human biomechanics underwater—an area where we still have much to learn.
The Future of Wearable Robotics Beneath the Surface
What makes this breakthrough even more exciting is its potential to spark further innovation. Wearable robotics have already transformed rehabilitation, industry, and mobility on land. Bringing them into the ocean extends the boundary of human-robot collaboration into a whole new frontier.
The research team believes this is just the beginning. They see opportunities to create more assistive devices that work seamlessly with the human body underwater, whether for the legs, arms, or even full-body support. They also hope this technology will inspire a deeper connection between people and the ocean, making exploration more accessible and less physically taxing.
As we continue to push into deeper parts of the ocean for research, resources, and understanding, tools like this underwater exoskeleton could make all the difference. It enhances human capability rather than replacing it, allowing divers to do more while feeling less exhausted.
Strengthening the Connection Between Humans and the Sea
In many ways, this invention serves as a reminder of just how much potential lies in merging biotechnology with robotics. The ocean might be a challenging place for humans, but with innovations like this, it becomes a little more welcoming.
By reducing strain, improving efficiency, and extending the time divers can safely stay underwater, this exoskeleton represents a meaningful step forward for marine exploration. Whether used in scientific missions, practical underwater work, or future training programs, it brings us closer to understanding and caring for the massive, mysterious world beneath the waves.
If the idea of effortlessly gliding underwater sounds like a dream, researchers are now one step closer to making that dream a reality.
