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Robotic Boat Hits 1,000-Mile Mark In Transatlantic Crossing

Posted by Soulskill on from the if-only-christopher-columbus-had-an-arduino-and-GPS dept.

toygeek writes "'Scout,' a 4-meter-long autonomous boat built by a group of young DIYers, is attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It is traveling from Rhode Island, where it launched on 24 August, to Spain, where all being well it will arrive in a few months' time. Scout has now gone about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of its planned 3,700-mile (5,900 kilometer) journey. Should it complete this voyage successfully, its passage will arguably belong in the history books."

6 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Cargo size? by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How much cocaine or heroin can you pack into one of these babies? I'm sure after trying their hand with human piloted semi-submersibles the cartels could be interested in autonomous vehicles.

    After all if you can keeps the contents dry and keep the supply chain flowing it doesn't matter how long the transit time is.

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    1. Re:Cargo size? by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The harder part would be hardening the computer/radio, for all radio signals are eventually found, and could likely be pinpointed.

      You don't need to harden the computer/radio - all you need is code in computer the goes something like:

      Am I near the start or end waypoint?
      Yes - OK listen for instructions from sources that validate in my cryptographic code, but don't announce my location until instructed to.
      No - Shut the radio down and run silent

      Now lets generate 10 semi random way points and head towards them one by one.
      Have I reached one of the computed waypoints?
          Is it the last computed waypoint?
              No - head for the next computed waypoint
              Yes - head for the end waypoint.

      If the "opposition" knows where the start and end way points are, or know how to defeat your encryption then you have bigger problems that someone hijacking you cargo.

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  2. Re:History books?!?! by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Somebody is WAAAAY too easily impressed. It's a cool achievment? But historic?!?!?!

    Its got "an Arduino, of course!" (*) in it .. surely that by itself is enough to make the history books?
     
    * Direct quote from TFA .. including the exclamation mark.

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  3. Saildrone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Check out Saildrone at http://mstfoundation.org/story/Saildrone. I'm friends with the guys building these and they are pretty cool. The prototype made it half way to Hawaii from California before a broken sensor forced them to turn it around and have it sail back to San Francisco. I believe it did around 2500 miles in that trip

  4. Their data is suspect.... by jcochran · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think that they might have issues with tracking. Or else there's something really, really screwy going on with their boat. Over a period of about 855 hours, the boat has traveled 1383 miles for an average speed of a bit over 1 mph. However, the "real time" tracking page has more than a few data points claiming outrageous speeds, like 95 mph over a 20 minute span. That figure is only the highest I saw. Also saw a few over 70 mph.

    1. Re:Their data is suspect.... by pseudofrog · · Score: 4, Funny

      You haven't truly lived unless you've traveled in a 95 mph ocean current.