Optimal Decompression of Divers [Applications of Control]

Decompression modeling of divers is a research field that is over 100 years old and since the beginning has been studied mainly as a clinical and biomedical problem. The topic is largely unexplored by the technological sciences using methods and theories for modeling and control. This article outlines a structure where the process of bubble formation is modeled as a nonlinear dynamic model and then used to design a state estimator and model-based predictor. Procedures are then calculated using explicit MPC. We further discussed dive-computer implementations using approximate explicit solutions. Finally, we showed practical differences for divers using computers that implement this approach. When future advances in sensor technology are made, the present structure can be further developed to include more feedback control of the estimator and optimal control formulation.