The Lab4Dive project: A mobile smart lab for augmented archaeological dives - Overview and first results

Marine archaeologists study a large number of submerged sites of interest around the world, which require continue diving explorations and monitoring. Although technology has improved a lot the research in the underwater environment, human intervention is preferred whenever depth makes the sites accessible by divers. This paper presents the concept, the first steps and the preliminary results of the Lab4Dive project, which is co-funded by the EMFF programme of EU, that aims to design, develop, and validate an innovative, marketable and competitive product for surveying, documenting and preserving Underwater Cultural Heritage. The archaeologist will be provided with an underwater tablet equipped with environmental sensors, where a properly designed data gathering system will be accessible through a dedicated application. Lab4Dive aims also to train young researchers and to encourage multi-disciplinary cooperation through the concept of a “Blue Lab”.