An Atmospheric Diving Suit or ADS is a small one-man man-shaped articulated submersible that provides the "diver" with a environment at one atmosphere of pressure at any depth. It can be used for very deep dives, 600 metres / 2000 feet, for many hours without the normal hazards of depth, such as the decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis. It solves most of the problems encountered by "ambient pressure" divers using breathing apparatus. They are only used in professional diving.
They look like suits of armour, with elaborate pressure joints to allow articulation while resisting the large difference between the inside and outside pressure. They are often made from aluminium, weigh around 250 kg/500 pounds, and have propellers so they can move in water. They are often lowered from a support vessel, which supplies breathing gas, electric power and communications to the suit through an umbilical cable. The suit may have its own rebreather-type breathing system in case the umbilical supply fails.
External links
Newtsuit