The Navy Experimental Diving Unit tested the Deep Sea Expeditionary with No Decompression (DSEND) Suit underwater last February.

The Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS) used by the Navy at the moment is cumbersome, unmaneuverable, and requires relatively large sea craft for deployment. With this new project, it will be improved in a number of ways, including the rotary joint design that it now uses.

For instance, the present ADS restricts mobility in a direction opposite to that of natural human joints, and this can make divers more fatigued. The new suit would increase a diver's range of motion without them having to use a lot of force or effort, and it would also give them the ability to swim without the aid of propulsion systems.

According to the Navy, another goal is to create a swimmable dive suit that can resist pressures of up to 300 feet (91,44 meters) of saltwater (fsw) and retain atmospheric pressure internally.