APL-UW

Tom Hansen

Research Scientist/Engineer - Principal

Email

thansen4@uw.edu

Phone

685-8455

Department Affiliation

Environmental & Information Systems

Videos

Deep Sea Expeditionary No-Decompression (DSEND) System

To enable U.S. Navy divers to work deeper and longer, and to reduce the risk of decompression sickness, a collaborative government-university-industry research and development team has created a hardened, lightweight, atmospheric dive suit.

24 Aug 2026

Bio Inspired Covert Electrostatic Propulsor (BICEP): A Future Vision for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

The underwater robots of the future may not look like robots at all. The BICEP system uses artificial muscles to oscillate a fishlike tail silently through the water. This university–government–industry research collaboration is taking soft robotics out of the lab and into the real world. The BICEP flexing tail replaces the traditional electric motors AUVs use for propulsion. This vision for AUV propulsion of the future is close to neutrally buoyant, can operate at any ocean depth, and is virtually undetectable by underwater sensing systems.

20 May 2026

Publications

2000-present and while at APL-UW

A bioinspired fish fin webbing for proprioceptive feedback

Bruns, A., B.E. Flammang, G. Papotti, C. Mastropoll, T. Hansen, and I. Anderson, "A bioinspired fish fin webbing for proprioceptive feedback," Bioinspiration Biomimetics, 20, doi:10.1088/1748-3190/ada1bb, 2025.

More Info

7 Jan 2025

The propulsive fins of ray-finned fish are used for large scale locomotion and fine maneuvering, yet also provide sensory feedback regarding hydrodynamic loading and the surrounding environment. This information is gathered via nerve cells in the webbing between their fin rays. A similar bioinspired system that can gather force feedback from fin motion could enable valuable insight into robotic underwater locomotion improving swimming efficiency and orientation. Fins are largely composed of bendable rays that support an elastic membranous web. In this investigation we have produced a stretch-sensing web that can be used as a sensor for a robotic fin; a proprioceptive fin webbing capable of measuring hydrodynamic loads. Our soft capacitive sensor web is embedded in 350 μm thin film that is held between wires which emulate fin rays. These sensor web constructs were successfully tested in water tunnels and maintained their sensory performance at speeds up to 0.7 m s-1 and at angles-of-attack up to 90 degrees. We demonstrated sensor response as a function of water speed and angle of attack. Induced vibrations in the membrane from vortex shedding and flutter at high speeds were mitigated through the addition of passive chordwise stiffeners and tensioning of the membrane was investigated. Through understanding sensing membrane behavior in flow, the development of specialized fin webbing sensors becomes possible. This invention thus presents a milestone in advanced hydrodynamic sensing in fish robots enabling us to push further towards autonomous control loops in fish robots.

In The News

DSEND deep: ONR, NAVSEA develop groundbreaking dive suit

Office of Naval Research News

To enhance the safety and capabilities of Navy divers, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) partnered with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to develop the Deep Sea Expeditionary No-Decompression (DSEND) dive suit. DSEND is currently undergoing testing throughout the fleet.

1 Jul 2026

Navy tests prototype atmospheric diving system

Department of War News, Anna Taylor, NUWC Keyport

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, Washington, hosted the first open water test of the Deep Sea Expeditionary with No Decompression suit in Liberty Bay, Washington. The event successfully simulated critical real-world Navy missions, including deep ocean salvage, underwater rescues, explosive ordnance disposal and ship hull maintenance.

30 Jun 2026

Deep impact: New diving suit could increase undersea range of Navy divers

Office of Naval Research News, Warren Duffie, Jr.

DSEND is truly a game-changer because it's a self-contained environment that keeps internal pressure steady, as a diver descends to depths with increasing external pressure. It increases diver safety, allowing them to expand the operational envelope and would eliminate lengthy decompression times.

25 Apr 2023

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