[3] It is not clear whether this would exclude servo-assisted limbs encasing those of the operator, as a powered exoskeleton, but it might be reasonable to include them as atmospheric diving suits.

The provision of hollow arm spaces with pressure resistant joints to carry manually operated manipulators, and usually separate leg spaces, similarly articulated for locomotion, makes a suit resemble a bulky suit of plate armour, or an exoskeleton, with elaborate joint seals to allow articulation while maintaining internal pressure.

Haptic perception through manipulators is a major limitation on finer control, as the friction of the joints and seals greatly reduces the sensitivity available.

The field of vision is constrained by the helmet design or viewport positioning, though closed circuit video can extend it considerably in any direction.

Marine thrusters may be mounted on the suit to help with maneuvering and positioning, and sonar and other scanning technologies may help provide an augmented external view.

Essentially a wooden barrel about 6 feet (1.8 m) in length with two holes for the diver's arms sealed with leather cuffs, and a 4-inch (100 mm) viewport of thick glass.

It was reportedly used to dive as deep as 60 feet (18 m), and was used to salvage substantial quantities of silver from the wreck of the East Indiaman Vansittart, which sank in 1719 off the Cape Verde islands.

His design comprised a barrel-shaped upper torso with domed ends and included ball and socket joints in the articulated arms and legs.

The suit included a ballast tank, a viewing port, entrance through a manhole cover on top, a hand-cranked propeller, and rudimentary manipulators at the ends of the arms.

[4] The first properly anthropomorphic design of ADS, built by the Carmagnolle brothers of Marseilles, France in 1882, featured rolling convolute joints consisting of partial sections of concentric spheres formed to create a close fit and kept watertight with a waterproof cloth.

The design was improved by Alexander Gordon by attaching the suit to the helmet and other parts and incorporating jointed radius rods in the limbs.

American designer Macduffee constructed the first suit to use ball bearings to provide joint movement in 1914; it was tested in New York to a depth of 214 feet (65 m), but was not very successful.

[4] Atmospheric diving suits built by German firm Neufeldt and Kuhnke were used during the salvage of gold and silver bullion from the wreck of the British ship SS Egypt, an 8,000 ton P&O liner that sank in May 1922.

The suit was relegated to duties as an observation chamber at the wreck's depth of 560 feet (170 m),[8] and was successfully used to direct mechanical grabs which opened up the bullion storage.

In 1917, Benjamin F. Leavitt of Traverse City, Michigan, dived on the SS Pewabic which sank to a depth of 182 feet (55 m) in Lake Huron in 1865, salvaging 350 tons of copper ore.

From 1929 to 1931 two atmospheric pressure one-person submersible "suits" designed by Carl Wiley were used in the successful salvage of the steamship Islander which sank in the Stevens Passage near Juneau, Alaska on 15 August 1901, with a large amount of gold dust in the cargo.

The suits were capable of traversing a hard, reasonably smooth substrate on wheels, and were used to place the steel cables used to raise the wreck by tidal lift (with an 18-foot or 5-metre tide range) under a catamaran barge in stages, while it was towed to shallow water.

[10] In 1952, Alfred A. Mikalow constructed an ADS employing ball and socket joints, specifically for the purpose of locating and salvaging sunken treasure.

Having a natural talent for engineering design, he challenged himself to construct an ADS that would keep divers dry and at atmospheric pressure, even at great depth.

In 1918, Peress began working for WG Tarrant at Byfleet, United Kingdom, where he was given the space and tools to develop his ideas about constructing an ADS.

By 1929 he believed he had solved the weight problem, by using cast magnesium instead of steel, and had also managed to improve the design of the suit's joints by using a trapped cushion of oil to keep the surfaces moving smoothly.

The oil was virtually non-compressible and readily displaceable, which would allow the limb joints to move freely even under great pressure.

Although the advances in ambient pressure diving (in particular, with scuba gear) were significant, the limitations brought renewed interest to the development of the ADS in the late 1960s.

The first JIM suits were constructed from cast magnesium for its high strength-to-weight ratio and weighed approximately 1,100 pounds (500 kg) in air including the diver.

The original JIM suit had eight annular oil-supported universal joints, one in each shoulder and lower arm, and one at each hip and knee.

The JIM operator received air through an oral/nasal mask that attached to a lung-powered scrubber that had a life support duration of approximately 72 hours.

[18] Operations in arctic conditions with water temperatures of 28.9 °F (−1.7 °C) for over 5 hours were successfully carried out using woolen thermal protection and neoprene boots.

Attempts were made to limit corrosion by the use of a chromic anodizing coating applied to the arm and leg joints, which gave them an unusual green color.

[5] The Newtsuit is constructed to function like a 'submarine you can wear', allowing the diver to work at normal atmospheric pressure even at depths of over 1,000 feet (300 m).

Capable of operating in up to 2,000 feet (610 m) of seawater for a normal mission of up to six hours it has a self-contained, automatic life support system.