Design and Experiment of a Water Hydraulic Artificial Muscle Actuated Diving Auxiliary Operating System

A diving auxiliary operating system based on water hydraulic artificial muscle (WHAM) was developed to enhance the efficiency of underwater work for divers. The water filling pressure of the WHAM was calculated by the interaction torque between the operating system and the wearer. Power assisted experiments were conducted to imitation the underwater rigging connections, desilting, and obstacle clearance for rescue operations. The power assistance effect was evaluated through a comparison of the surface electromyography (EMG) intensity between the wearer with and without the auxiliary operating system. The experiments results indicate that the auxiliary system can enhance the diver's operational capacity 43%.