Underwater communication  has always presented a challenge for divers.
Whether diving for recreational, professional or military purposes, communication has typically been limited to hand signals or body contact.
Post dive briefings are too often teeming with discussions about opportunities for adventure that were missed, and accidents are often caused by an inability to share crucial information.

The underwater environment is inherently dangerous for humans, and when underwater, a diver out of sight range is essentially alone.
Underwater communication is significantly constrained by physics; specifically issues of transmission and reception that are caused by the water density.
Smart digitalization provides the ideal approach to underwater communication by allowing for nearly error free transmission in a very difficult environment.

In order to convert the conceptual idea to a feasible technology, several breakthroughs were required in different areas:

Hardware: Existing hardware required modification for the underwater environment; sophisticated ultrasound technology and advanced digital signal processing.
Software: Innovative application software had to be developed for the purposes of the device.
Transmission/Receiving: Small and effective acoustic antennas had to be coupled with the equipment.
Power: Lightweight power units for underwater functioning had to be developed.
Packaging: The equipment required an appropriate physical design to protect it from the hostile underwater environment and to ensure an effective user interface.

UTC is the first company to develop an underwater communication system that has overcome the significant inherent challenges.
The core technology behind UDI is the result of intensive research and development at UTC.

All of UTC’s developments have been protected by a number of patents (among them US 6125080, US 6130859, US 6272072, WO 6040771  and more) as well as trademarked designs.