Wearable head-up displays (HUDs) for pilots that show critical flight data on a pair of glasses or helmet instead of on a fixed glass in the cockpit are common. From thousands of feet in the air, now, the same idea is going hundreds of feet deep into the water with the AREX AR scuba dive mask that features a built-in computer.
The next-gen underwater mask, powered by augmented reality, was unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin today.
As a wearable dive computer, AREX is designed to re-envision the way divers interact underwater. Instead of constantly looking down at the wrist-worn computer, divers can check critical information right in their field of view, ensuring there is never a split-second distraction from the vision ahead.
AREX thus integrates a full dive computer directly into an augmented reality mask. An eye-wearable micro-display is directly integrated into a dive mask, ensuring the diver can see what matters, instantly in their field of view.
All the essential information, such as “depth, no-decompression limits, and dive status,” is displayed within the diver’s natural field of view, allowing the wearer to see the data in real-time without having to look away. The mask comes with an intuitive mechanical control system, so it can be operated without diverting the diver’s attention at any time.
According to the company, it’s the first intelligent augmented reality dive mask that keeps divers always focused on their underwater surroundings. No distractions such as those associated with wrist-mounted computers that require you to look down when your focus should be on the water in front.
“AREX is built for a wide range of diving, from recreational and low-visibility environments to technical, cave and expedition diving,” the company informs Homecrux. This essentially makes the wearable HUD versatile in application and pretty liberal in usability. For the latter, it supports “Nitrox, Trimix and CCR configurations, with a ZHL-16C decompression algorithm and Gradient Factors.”
Besides these abovementioned essential functions, the AREX AR scuba dive mask comes with optional modules. These can include real-time oxygen tank pressure monitoring and Sync Dive Torch, which follows the diver’s field of view. For the explorers, AREX can also include AI Marine ID Scanner, a module that can be used to identify marine life in real time.
While allowing users to carry out all this hands-free, AREX keeps divers’ “attention where it matters,” making all the information necessary underwater available to them when they need it, right before their eyes.
AREX is currently being developed and tested. At IFA Berlin 2026, you can get the first glimpse of the AREX prototype and experience its technology firsthand. Following its IFA unveiling, the AREX AR dive mask will launch on Kickstarter on 22 September 2026.
