AI is bringing the internet to submerged Roman ruins

It is difficult to maintain cabled systems, which are the most reliable. Wireless internet doesn't work well in water because of how water interacts with waves. Light and sound aren't efficient forms of wireless underwater communication because they can alter signals as they travel between devices

Davidde collaborated with a group of engineers led by a professor at a university and the director of a spinoff company. A network of acoustic modems and underwater wireless sensors can be used to gather environmental data and transmit it to land. Davidde says that the site can now be monitored remotely.

They rely on artificial intelligence to change the network protocol. The signal can travel up to two kilometers when the ocean conditions change. The system can reach tens of megabits per second over shorter distances. This bandwidth is enough to transmit environmental data collected by sensors anchored to the seafloor, such as images and information on water quality, pressure, and temperature, and metal, chemical, and biological elements.

Underwater internet at Baiae allows continuous monitoring of environmental conditions such as carbon dioxide levels, which can influence the growth of organisms that could disfigure artifacts. It allows divers to communicate with one another and with colleagues above the surface who can use the technology to locate them with a high degree of accuracy.