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Author Topic:   Autonomous Boat SCOUT

jimh posted 09-26-2013 09:19 AM ET (US)
A group of young and aspiring engineers, barely in their twenties, have designed, built, and launched a 13.5-foot autonomous boat, SCOUT, which is presently underway on a record-setting voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. For more details see
http://gotransat.com/
The hull of SCOUT was built with a foam core. (The method of construction is substantially different that the method used by Boston Whaler to produce a Unibond hull.) Details of the construction are shown in
http://gotransat.com/build.html
The SCOUT is controlled by "two Arduino Mega microcontrollers; one to handle navigation, and one to handle sensors and communication through [an] Iridium 9612 transciever."
The Arduino project is a global project to create inexpensive and simple-to-program microprocessor devices. See
http://www.arduino.cc/

tjxtreme posted 09-26-2013 09:38 AM ET (US)
Interesting- I was wondering about the asymmetry of the hull, but it looks like it was designed to favor charging the solar panels while travelling east-to-west.
tjxtreme posted 09-26-2013 09:38 AM ET (US)
er... west-to-east
jimh posted 09-26-2013 12:18 PM ET (US)
I do not see any asymmetry in the hull design.
tjxtreme posted 09-26-2013 12:36 PM ET (US)
http://gotransat.com/images/build/corereplacement.JPG
I guess it is above the waterline and not the 'hull' per se if that is what you are getting at
tjxtreme posted 09-26-2013 12:36 PM ET (US)
[Duplicate post. ASIDE: what browser are you using?--jimh]
jimh posted 09-26-2013 06:06 PM ET (US)
It looks like the deck is canted so that the solar panels get a better view to the South in this image:
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/ 6486_526835477381016_1636062752_n.jpg
That would make more sense than the hull having some asymmetry.
jimh posted 09-26-2013 06:07 PM ET (US)
Here is the chase boat, a Boston Whaler DAUNTLESS:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=526834934047737&set=pb. 142557109142190.-2207520000.1380232975.&type=3&theater
tjxtreme posted 09-26-2013 06:39 PM ET (US)
ASIDE to jimh: Chrome on Windows 7. Not sure how that happened... I definitely didn't double-click
dfmcintyre posted 09-26-2013 09:37 PM ET (US)
About a year ago, I wandered into a link about some sort of autonomous submersible torpedo like craft. It was traveling across the Atlantic, westbound. Lost the link.--Don
Chuck Tribolet posted 09-26-2013 10:08 PM ET (US)
There's an outfit around here that builds a self-propelled
"surfboard". Propulsion comes from the rocking motion of the
waves. I think electrical power is solar. They can be
programmed to maintain a given position, or go from A to B.
They launched three from San Francisco to Honolulu. Two made
it. One of my dive buddies was the contact tech writer for
the manuals.
Chuck
jimh posted 09-26-2013 10:10 PM ET (US)
I recall the wave-drive small boat. But I think it just went with the waves. It could not be programmed to run a course line like the SCOUT is doing. But most remarkable, for me, is the young age of the participants, the lack of any big endowment or sponsor for the project, and the great results so far.
Chuck Tribolet posted 09-27-2013 02:08 PM ET (US)
The autonomous surfboard is the Wave Glider from Liquid
Robotics.
http://liquidr.com/
Chuck
jamesmylesmcp posted 10-24-2013 12:42 PM ET (US)
update
http://newenglandboating.com/news/tiverton-ri-unmanned-boat-in-trouble. html
jimh posted 10-25-2013 10:04 AM ET (US)
It's too bad their main system has failed, but it was quite smart of the designers to include the secondary position reporting system. At least they will know where the boat drifts.
Their main website seems to be rather mum about the latest news. Maybe they're posting it to Facebook--which I cannot see.
jimh posted 12-05-2013 01:49 PM ET (US)
The autonomous boat SCOUT seems to be lost in the Atlantic. The builders and organizers recently posted:

quote:
On Wednesday, November 06, 2013, at 4:01:27 PM, we received the last transmission from Scout. The backup tracker, a completely independent unit operating on the Globalstar satellite network, quietly failed before the next scheduled (4:01AM) message was transmitted...
...and we don't think that we'll hear from her again.
Marsh posted 12-07-2013 06:20 PM ET (US)
Arrrrgh!
Pirates!

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Author	Topic: Autonomous Boat SCOUT
jimh	posted 09-26-2013 09:19 AM ET (US) A group of young and aspiring engineers, barely in their twenties, have designed, built, and launched a 13.5-foot autonomous boat, SCOUT, which is presently underway on a record-setting voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. For more details see http://gotransat.com/ The hull of SCOUT was built with a foam core. (The method of construction is substantially different that the method used by Boston Whaler to produce a Unibond hull.) Details of the construction are shown in http://gotransat.com/build.html The SCOUT is controlled by "two Arduino Mega microcontrollers; one to handle navigation, and one to handle sensors and communication through [an] Iridium 9612 transciever." The Arduino project is a global project to create inexpensive and simple-to-program microprocessor devices. See http://www.arduino.cc/
tjxtreme	posted 09-26-2013 09:38 AM ET (US) Interesting- I was wondering about the asymmetry of the hull, but it looks like it was designed to favor charging the solar panels while travelling east-to-west.
tjxtreme	posted 09-26-2013 09:38 AM ET (US) er... west-to-east
jimh	posted 09-26-2013 12:18 PM ET (US) I do not see any asymmetry in the hull design.
tjxtreme	posted 09-26-2013 12:36 PM ET (US) http://gotransat.com/images/build/corereplacement.JPG I guess it is above the waterline and not the 'hull' per se if that is what you are getting at
tjxtreme	posted 09-26-2013 12:36 PM ET (US) [Duplicate post. ASIDE: what browser are you using?--jimh]
jimh	posted 09-26-2013 06:06 PM ET (US) It looks like the deck is canted so that the solar panels get a better view to the South in this image: https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/ 6486_526835477381016_1636062752_n.jpg That would make more sense than the hull having some asymmetry.
jimh	posted 09-26-2013 06:07 PM ET (US) Here is the chase boat, a Boston Whaler DAUNTLESS: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=526834934047737&set=pb. 142557109142190.-2207520000.1380232975.&type=3&theater
tjxtreme	posted 09-26-2013 06:39 PM ET (US) ASIDE to jimh: Chrome on Windows 7. Not sure how that happened... I definitely didn't double-click
dfmcintyre	posted 09-26-2013 09:37 PM ET (US) About a year ago, I wandered into a link about some sort of autonomous submersible torpedo like craft. It was traveling across the Atlantic, westbound. Lost the link.--Don
Chuck Tribolet	posted 09-26-2013 10:08 PM ET (US) There's an outfit around here that builds a self-propelled "surfboard". Propulsion comes from the rocking motion of the waves. I think electrical power is solar. They can be programmed to maintain a given position, or go from A to B. They launched three from San Francisco to Honolulu. Two made it. One of my dive buddies was the contact tech writer for the manuals. Chuck
jimh	posted 09-26-2013 10:10 PM ET (US) I recall the wave-drive small boat. But I think it just went with the waves. It could not be programmed to run a course line like the SCOUT is doing. But most remarkable, for me, is the young age of the participants, the lack of any big endowment or sponsor for the project, and the great results so far.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 09-27-2013 02:08 PM ET (US) The autonomous surfboard is the Wave Glider from Liquid Robotics. http://liquidr.com/ Chuck
jamesmylesmcp	posted 10-24-2013 12:42 PM ET (US) update http://newenglandboating.com/news/tiverton-ri-unmanned-boat-in-trouble. html
jimh	posted 10-25-2013 10:04 AM ET (US) It's too bad their main system has failed, but it was quite smart of the designers to include the secondary position reporting system. At least they will know where the boat drifts. Their main website seems to be rather mum about the latest news. Maybe they're posting it to Facebook--which I cannot see.
jimh	posted 12-05-2013 01:49 PM ET (US) The autonomous boat SCOUT seems to be lost in the Atlantic. The builders and organizers recently posted: quote: On Wednesday, November 06, 2013, at 4:01:27 PM, we received the last transmission from Scout. The backup tracker, a completely independent unit operating on the Globalstar satellite network, quietly failed before the next scheduled (4:01AM) message was transmitted... ...and we don't think that we'll hear from her again.
Marsh	posted 12-07-2013 06:20 PM ET (US) Arrrrgh! Pirates!