CARMAGNOLLE 1882 (France)

The Carmagnolle brothers designed an atmospheric diving suit in 1882 which used a rolling convolute joint. The joints were made of partial sections of concentric spheres formed to a close fit and keep watertight with a loop of waterproof cloth attached to both sections of the joint. The Carmagnolle suit was a brilliant design for its time though it suffered from many problems. However, the basic idea works fine at a few pounds of pressure, and an updated version is currently being proposed for the "hinge" joints (knees and elbows) on hard carapace space suits. A CARMAGNOLLE suit is on display at the National Maritime Museum in Paris.