What Is an Underwater Jetpack?

An Underwater Jetpack is a wearable propulsion system that moves a person through the water. The CudaJet Underwater Jetpack was invented by British designer Archie O’Brien, who founded CudaJet to develop and manufacture it in England.

CudaJet places the propulsion unit on the user’s back, secured through a harness. A handheld controller regulates power, while the user changes direction through body movement. Together, these elements enable underwater flight: powered movement in three dimensions, guided by the person wearing the equipment.

The invention began as a university project in 2017. It developed into a working prototype called CUDA, then into the product and British manufacturing business known today as CudaJet.

How does an underwater jetpack work?

CudaJet uses electric propulsion to generate thrust, which is transferred to the wearer through the harness. Its power source is carried within the system, so it does not require a power connection to a boat or equipment at the surface.

The handheld controller connects directly to the Jetpack by a cable. The user regulates power through the controller and influences the direction of travel through changes in body position.

These two inputs work together. Power determines the thrust being delivered; body movement shapes the path through the water. Learning to coordinate them is the foundation of underwater flight.

The result is a propulsion system that travels with the user, with the equipment worn on the body and its controls within reach.

Why call it underwater flight?

Underwater flight describes movement through a three-dimensional environment under power. The user carries the propulsion system and actively shapes their direction of travel.

The experience involves more than straight-line speed. Changes in body position allow the user to follow a curved path, change orientation and develop a flowing style of movement.

This relationship becomes particularly clear when watching CudaJet in use. The wearer’s movements and the jetpack’s propulsion combine to create a continuous path through the water.

As coordination develops, the user can become more deliberate about the route they take and the power they apply. That progression gives underwater flight an appeal beyond the first experience: there is room to develop greater precision and fluency.

Who invented the CudaJet Underwater Jetpack?

Archie O’Brien invented the CudaJet Underwater Jetpack. He is also the founder and CEO of CudaJet, the British company behind its development and manufacture.

O’Brien began developing the idea in 2017 while studying product design at Loughborough University. His ambition was to create a wearable propulsion system that would let him move through underwater environments with greater freedom.

Making that possible required propulsion suited to a backpack configuration. The project combined research, design and physical prototyping to establish how the concept could work in the water.

By July 2018, an early working prototype, called CUDA, had been publicly documented. It combined 3D printing with machined components and had been tested in swimming pools and open water.

The prototype demonstrated the central idea: carry propulsion on the back, connect it to the wearer and give that person control over their movement through the water.

From an invention to a British manufacturing company

A working prototype was the beginning of a longer development process. Turning CUDA into a finished product meant addressing how the complete system would be manufactured, handled, used and supported.

The propulsion unit, harness and controller each had a role. Together, they needed to form equipment that a person could wear and control, with the engineering serving the intended experience.

CudaJet grew from that development work into a British research, development and manufacturing company. Its underwater jetpacks are designed and manufactured in England, combining the company’s own engineering and manufacturing work with a network of British suppliers.

In 2026, O’Brien was recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Manufacturing & Industry category. That milestone followed years of development from the original university project.

The connection between inventor, product and manufacturer remains direct: Archie O’Brien invented the CudaJet Underwater Jetpack, and CudaJet develops and manufactures the system that brings his idea of underwater flight into use.

Explore the CudaJet Underwater Jetpack to learn more about the product and discuss ownership.