IFA 2026: AREX puts a dive computer in an AR mask

AREX showed its AI-powered augmented-reality dive mask at IFA Berlin on September 3, 2026. The prototype puts a full dive computer inside the mask, presenting depth, no-decompression limits and dive status in the diver’s field of view instead of requiring repeated glances at a wrist-mounted computer. Details are in AREX’s original press release.

The design targets more than recreational diving. AREX says it is being developed for low-visibility conditions as well as technical, cave and expedition dives. Its dive-computer software supports Air, Nitrox, Trimix and closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) configurations, using the ZHL-16C decompression algorithm with Gradient Factors.

The mask is intended to cover different gas mixes and dive profiles rather than act as a simple heads-up depth display. The release does not provide the specific Gradient Factor ranges, display characteristics, battery capacity, operating depth, processor, wireless protocol or sensor package. It establishes the supported configurations and decompression model but not the hardware limits behind them.

A computer that stays in the diver’s view

AREX says the mask uses a mechanical control system that can be operated without removing the diver’s attention from the surrounding environment. The stated goal is to make critical data available without forcing the diver to look down or interrupt visual awareness of the dive site.

That differs from a conventional wrist computer, but the company has not published latency, visibility, contrast, field-of-view, optical-resolution or failure-handling specifications. Those details will determine whether the display is useful in dark, silty or visually complex water, particularly for the technical and cave-diving scenarios named in the announcement.

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The system is also designed as an expandable platform rather than a fixed mask computer. Optional hardware includes the TX Pressure Pod for real-time tank-pressure monitoring and the Sync Dive Torch, which follows the diver’s field of view. A separate AI Marine ID Scanner uses onboard vision technology to identify marine life in real time.

The scanner is the main AI-specific feature described so far, but the release does not say which species it can recognize, whether identification works without a surface connection, how much processing occurs on the mask, or how accuracy is measured. “AI-powered” therefore describes a planned capability, not a published performance result.

“We didn’t want to simply put another screen underwater,” said the AREX team. “We wanted to rethink how divers interact with information in the first place. AREX is about keeping your attention where it matters, while making the information you need available when you need it.”

Prototype status, price and availability

AREX is still being developed and tested in real-world diving environments. The team says it is refining the hardware, software and underwater user experience using feedback from divers, and visitors to IFA 2026 were among the first to see the latest prototype.

The event demonstration was an early look rather than a product launch. AREX has not announced a retail price, release date, supported mask configurations, availability in the United States or pricing for the optional modules. It also has not supplied independent dive-test results or a comparison with existing wrist computers.

The remaining question is whether the optical system, controls and power budget can display dive data reliably without competing with the diver’s primary visual task. AREX’s IFA prototype establishes the concept and its decompression-software scope, but the company has yet to publish the specifications needed to judge it as dive equipment.