Today I purchased Snorkel.tel, a domain I had owned previously. I’m bringing it into JR24JENSEN as the name of an idea and an ongoing research subject.
Imagine snorkeling over a coral reef while your snorkeling mask displays augmented-reality information about the fish, coral, and other marine life you’re seeing. Now imagine that the mask has access to the internet.
One possible approach would involve a boat equipped with satellite internet. The boat would transmit data through a direct, line-of-sight laser communications link to a small optical receiver positioned above the water at the top of the snorkeler’s snorkel. The snorkel-mounted equipment would then communicate with the electronics in the augmented-reality mask.
The connection between the boat and snorkel would be optical, using laser light rather than radio transmission.
Does This Technology Exist?
That’s one of the questions I want to explore. There are several areas of technology worth investigating:
- Satellite internet aboard recreational boats.
- Free-space optical communications using lasers.
- Tracking and maintaining optical connections between moving objects.
- Augmented-reality displays in underwater masks.
- Artificial intelligence and computer vision for identifying marine life.
- The practical challenges of operating electronic equipment in saltwater environments.
There are also important safety questions, particularly concerning laser exposure, marine conditions, and snorkeling equipment.
I’m interested in learning what already exists, what researchers and inventors are developing, and what technological advances might eventually make a system like this practical.
Snorkel.tel on JR24JENSEN
Snorkel.tel is an idea and a subject for independent research and journalism. I may publish articles, follow technological developments, and create videos exploring this field.
This is a recreational, noncommercial research project—not an announcement that I am manufacturing or selling snorkeling equipment.
I hope it becomes a fun way to learn about communications technology, augmented reality, and the underwater world.
Explore the Idea and Research
Snorkel.tel Ideas — the permanent page describing the idea.
Snorkel.tel Research — the companion page organizing the research topics and questions.
— Jesse Ryan Jensen