1. Wireless communications system identical to those used in deep submersibles with a range of 1 mile/1.6 km. The system is a 27.5 kHz acoustical single-sideband unit and is used as a back-up to the umbilical carried hard wired system.
2. Limb (arm) extension which can be added to the suit in 1"/2.54 cm increments in order to fit a variety of operators.
3. The hand manipulator assembly has teeth on one side and a matching, resilient, compliance pad on the other and is operated by squeezing on a contoured, internal grip. The jaws are interchangeable, and different models have been developed for specific tasks. The manipulator has a unique wrist joint, a ball and socket arrangement that allows 20 degrees of movement at the hand-pod/manipulator bulkhead. This greatly increases the dexterity of the Hardsuit relative to earlier systems.
4. The boot houses foot controls for the thruster pack; left foot - vertical control, right foot - lateral control.
5. The lower limb sizers change the length of the legs from crotch to ankle to fit different operators. Of the operator were to have exceptionally legs, and upper sizer would be required to maintain the knee flexion joint centered over the knee.
6. The forward and rear buoyancy blocks are make of syntactic foam and are used to counter act the weight of the thruster pack and thruster pack assembly and still maintain sufficient residual pay-load buoyancy for an emergency free-ascent. In the next version of the suit, the torso will be made slightly larger to increase the buoyancy and the foam blocks will be greatly reduced in size.
7. External lights utilizing two 75 watt XENOPHOT bulbs that provide greatly increased lumens per watt as compared to quartz iodide incandescent bulbs. Manufactured by OSRAM, Germany.
8. Waist sizing capability in 2", 4" or combinations to accommodate different sized operators.
9. The concentric-walled vision dome is pressure cast of transparent ¾" acrylic plastic and treated to improve strength and toughness. Built by a Lloyd’s-certified manufacturer under laboratory conditions, each unit is individually tested and issued with a certificate of compliance. The domes are micro-polished to high optical standards and then protected by a MACRILON polycarbonate outer covering when in use.
10. Main and secondary lift attachment points for the surface umbilical along with cable cutter system. The umbilical carries the hard-wire communications system, 460 volt thruster pack power line, a coaxial member for video transmission, and spare electrical, video, sonar, and optical-fiber members for multiplexing data on the operators status to the Atmospheric Monitoring System (AMS) where it can be displayed and recorded. The umbilical also acts as the strength member for lifting the suit in and out of the water if a deployment cage is not used. Should the umbilical become entangled or trapped by shifting debris/wreckage, it can be detached by the operator by turning a lever, inside the dome. A second lever operates a cutter to sever the electrical cable assembly. The operator then communicates with the surface via wireless. The operator can then walk clear of the entrapment, drop the weights, and surface.
11. Back pack cover with access hatch, housing the oxygen life support system (48 hour capability) and electrical connectors.
12. Patented Hardsuit fluid-compensated rotary joints. The suit utilizes a total of 18 joints in five sizes.
13. The lateral and vertical thrusters (port and starboard) are high-efficiency permanent magnet motors driving a vertical and horizontal propeller through a right-angle gear system. The props are variable-pitch and are linearly adjustable from zero pitch to full pitch from a separate controlling motor that is data-linked to foot pad controls. In operation, the propellers are continuously turning at full speed (about 5000 rpm) however the prop blades are feathered flat and the suit doesn’t move. As the operator presses on the foot pad, the prop angles change and the operator is instantly flying! Increased pressure on the control results in greater pitch and consequently greater speed. Unlike conventional systems that have a relatively slow acceleration curve, these puppies are full bore pedal-to-the-metal, right now!
14. External auxiliary equipment mounting area for sonar, video, etc.
15. Internal fan-assisted (50+ hour capacity) carbon dioxide (CO₂) scrubber pack. As long as the suit is connected to the umbilical, the scrubber fans are driven off the main power supply. The internal batteries, which are good for about five to six hours are held as a back-up in the event the suit is disconnected, and kept at maximum charge by a "refresher" circuit. If the scrubber batteries are exhausted, the operator switches to the passive scrubbing mode utilizing an oral/nasal mask in the helmet. Breathing is similar to a close-circuit rig with no hydrostatic pressure differential.

This information appears in aquaCorps Journal N8 pp26-27.