Introducing Tinamarie’s Tidal Talk, a monthly series from Diveheart’s Executive Director, Tinamarie Hernandez, featuring inspiring stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and other fun updates in our weekly newsletter!
Students Develop Adaptive Scuba Tech
Let’s dive into this month’s Tidal Talk!
Earlier this month, we were contacted by a school group from the United Arab Emirates participating in the FIRST Lego League Challenge, an international competition organized by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) for elementary and middle school students. This year’s theme was Underwater Communication, and the team, aptly named Pelagic Pioneers, was inspired by Diveheart’s mission to serve people with disabilities.
To make underwater communication more inclusive, they proposed using throat vibrations instead of traditional microphones and integrating speech-to-text displays to assist adaptive divers. Before the competition, Jim and I connected with them through a video presentation to help them better understand the challenges faced by adaptive divers. We were incredibly impressed by their work and deeply humbled that our mission inspired them. We were thrilled to hear that they won!
Until next time, keep making waves!