We've already seen head-up display (HUD) tech applied to things like ski goggles, swimming goggles and cycling glasses. Now, with its Maoi system, French company Thalatoo is bringing HUD to third-party diving masks.
Maoi takes the form of a device that is strapped to the diver's forehead above their existing mask, where it serves the same purpose as the dive computer that they would typically wear on their wrist.
An LCD display of data such as temperature, depth, elapsed time, compass heading and required ascent rate is projected onto a clear optical reflector, that sits over the user's left eye. As a result, they see the reflected display as if it's appearing in the water 2 meters (6.6 ft) in front of them.
Buttons on the side let users manually switch between datasets, although the type of data that's displayed also changes automatically, based on whether the diver is descending, exploring, or ascending. The display additionally appears on an outward-facing screen on the main device, so that the user's diving buddy can see their data too.
Maoi is claimed to work for up to 10 hours on one charge of its lithium-ion battery, and has a maximum operating depth of 60 meters (197 ft).
It's currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, where a pledge of €290 (about US$342) is required to get one – the estimated retail price is €490 ($579). Shipping should take place next August, if everything works out.
You can see Maoi in use, in the following video.
Source: Indiegogo
