The Navy’s awesome new diving helmet looks like a Minion

The U.S. Navy on Thursday unveiled an advanced diving helmet complete with what’s known as Divers Augmented Vision Display (DAVD), and it looks like something out of the future. Unfortunately, all anyone can talk about is how it looks like a Minion. So is it Kevin, Stuart, or Bob?

Essentially, the DAVD provides divers with a heads-up-display (HUD) that’s embedded directly inside of the diving helmet. The system provides divers with everything from their location to diagrams, and even text messages.

The Navy explained why the new helmet and DAVD is so important:

Having real-time operational data enables them to be more effective and safe in their missions—providing expanded situational awareness and increased accuracy in navigating to a target such as a ship, downed aircraft, or other objects of interest.

In addition, the Navy said the system provides divers with invaluable pre-brief data while they’re underwater. This could be everything from what specific items look like to where they may be located. The whole system was described as having the “feel comparable to a point-of-view video game display.” It sounds like the same kind of experience you’d get from Microsoft’s HoloLens, which is to say it’s probably something Tony Stark would wear.

The helmet is still in testing but the advancements are emboldening the Navy to create even crazier technology for future diving missions. One such upgrade might allow divers to “see” even when water visibility is near zero.

I’m no Minion, but that sounds totally “Banana!”