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MIT develops 3D-printed, driverless boats

24 May 2018, 02:14 PM IST



Row, row, row your bot


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Row, row, row your bot



MIT scientists have designed a fleet of 3D-printed, driverless boats that could ferry goods and people, helping clear up road congestion in waterway-rich cities such as Amsterdam, Bangkok and Venice – where canals run alongside and under bustling streets and bridges.

The autonomous boats offer high maneuverability and precise control. They can be built using low-cost printer, making mass manufacturing more feasible.


MIT




Future of driverless boats


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Future of driverless boats



In the future, the researchers also envision the driverless boats being adapted to perform city services overnight, instead of during busy daylight hours, further reducing congestion on both roads and canals.

“Imagine shifting some of infrastructure services that usually take place during the day on the road – deliveries, garbage management, waste management – to the middle of the night, on the water, using a fleet of autonomous boats,” said Daniela Rus, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.


MIT




It can assemble itself


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It can assemble itself



The boats – rectangular 4-by-2-metre hulls equipped with sensors, microcontrollers, location trackers, and other hardware – could be programmed to self-assemble into floating bridges, concert stages, platforms for food markets, and other structures in a matter of hours.

“Again, some of the activities that are usually taking place on land, and that cause disturbance in how the city moves, can be done on a temporary basis on the water,” said Rus.


MIT




Other features of the 'roboat'


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Other features of the ‘roboat’



Integrated onto the hull are a power supply, Wi-Fi antenna, GPS, and a minicomputer and microcontroller. For precise positioning, the researchers incorporated an indoor ultrasound beacon system and outdoor real-time kinematic GPS modules, which allow for centimeter-level localisation, as well as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) module that monitors the boat’s yaw and angular velocity, among other metrics.

The boat is a rectangular shape, instead of the traditional kayak or catamaran shapes, to allow the vessel to move sideways and to attach itself to other boats when assembling other structures.


MIT


MIT develops 3D-printed, driverless boats MIT develops 3D-printed, driverless boats Reviewed by TechCO on 11/12/2020 Rating: 5

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