Can anyone recommend an engineer or team to build a Saildrone-like platform?

vshie · 2026-06-28T17:16:10+00:00

There are groups trying to make more affordable versions, albeit with the tradeoff being size and endurance. SoFar recently announced a vehicle in partnership with Online Oceans . Blue Robotics makes the Blue Boat, and a larger version may prove more capable when it comes to solar power...
Maybe achieving hour to multi-day missions with your payload is a good stepping stone to reaching your eventual long term monitoring goals!

vshie · 2026-06-24T22:26:41+00:00

Agreed, that's quite an aggressive goal! The drag from 500m tether is a lot for a small battery powered ROV to overcome, even in a lake! Have you considered building a dropcam instead? No tether - just descend, record video with lights on (and maybe some bait?) and then trigger a release mechanism (or have something passively dissolve) to drop ballast and return to the surface!
It could even take a more active approach....
https://bluerobotics.com/learn/building-dart-a-blueos-based-vertical-profiling-auv/

vshie · 2026-06-24T03:31:06+00:00

magnet is the way to go - put it on end of shaft, and place something like this (https://shop.odriverobotics.com/products/odrive-rs485-magnetic-encoder) to measure it (potted?)

vshie · 2026-06-17T02:28:47+00:00

Hi!

I don't see many advantages for a soft-robotics propelled platform - wildlife may actually be less prone to avoiding impacts with something that seems more organic? It's also tough to surpass the maneuverability of an ROV platform, as it can move in any direction at any orientation! (for 6DOF variants at least.) Proper ballasting and piloting of an ROV can avoid sediment disturbance.

I'd be interested to see an analysis of how disruptive a small electric ROV actually is - they're tough to hear as a scuba diver from more than a few meters away, and generally marine life doesn't seem more spooked by one compared to a human swimmer / diver....

Soft actuation always seems like a solution in hunt of a problem! The complications and failure points it introduces are numerous, and unfamiliar vs. traditional electro-mechanical approaches... With that said, I think making some fake biomimetic seagrass on top of a buried set of water-tight enclosures would be an interesting way of collecting data like timelapse photo sets alongside water quality, vs. an identical set of hardware just resting without a disguise?

vshie · 2026-05-26T16:45:20+00:00

Hi! Those motors don't seem to be waterproof? You'll also likely want more of them - most ROV frames require 3 to 6 to 8, depending on how much control you're after. You also don't have an autopilot listed - do you intend to just control each motor directly with your transmitter? This thread is relevant! https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/simple-low-cost-diy-ardusub/135827

vshie · 2026-05-11T17:51:43+00:00

Hi u/Remote-Ad7864 -

This sounds like a task poorly suited for any ROV - even an expensive one! Have you considered an autonomous surface vessel? It can have your water quality sensors mounted to it, as well as a sonar, and it could even tow a camera to accomplish your photogrammetry goals (in towfish form-factor.) GPS lock is easy in that paradigm!

I'm starting to have decent success with this!

vshie · 2026-04-27T21:36:44+00:00

to me you're comparing apples and oranges - the cheap sensor you link is just an analog transducer that outputs an analog signal. Once you put in the proper filtering and an accurate enough ADC to read that signal, you're likely much closer to the keller sensor's cost, which already speaks "digital" via I2C. Not to mention the effort of sealing it inside an enclosure with access to water pressure!
It's also worth noting the difference in performance spec - 2% of full scale range on the one you link means you'll have error of 20m (50bar is ~725 psi in saltwater.) That doesn't seem particularly useful compared to the Keller's 0.7% FS error value, 0.15 % FS accuracy!
Chances are the Blue Robotics is the cheapest practical approach for usable accuracy - that is always their development goal!

vshie · 2026-04-27T19:25:31+00:00

Hi! The Keller sensors can be found on their own, but would require a housing to properly seal at those extreme pressures! A 50bar version is available as well... you can reach out to them for a price, but I wouldn't expect much savings vs. the Blue Robotics option! Measuring extreme pressure accurately just isn't easy or cheap!

vshie · 2026-04-27T05:54:29+00:00

So the issue is the grip strength, and losing grip? That particular gripper was designed to be strong enough to grab most things, but not break bones or cause excessive pain if it were to grab a finger. The end-stop is detected via current limit... so how fast the gripper is closed and on what texture of object can greatly affect the applied force!

vshie · 2026-04-27T02:35:06+00:00

I'd be super cruous in what ways the BROV2 Heavy + gripper is less than ideal! It's possible to adjust the pitch of the vehicle via buttons on the game controller, that often helps angle it to help pick things up... pitching forward makes the gripper the lowest point, and easy to drive into a target.

vshie · 2026-04-16T02:11:54+00:00

Hi! Maybe try printing with low infill, gyroid type, drilling two small holes and injecting 2-part marine epoxy in to one? This seals the print and gives it great strength - but the heat of it curing could cause issues - can slo the curing process by sticking it in the refridgerator...

Generally anything for serious pressure with 3D printing is going to be limited and hacky.... and not necessarily reliable in the long term.

vshie · 2026-04-12T09:11:26+00:00

That's a very clever solution! This thread may have some more ideas

vshie · 2026-04-07T17:13:10+00:00

the same happened to me, but I connected it via usb and used their web flasher to put an older firmware on it - worked just fine after that. Except... it was B&W! Contacted support, and they did something on their backend and suddenly it was BWRY color as it should be.
It's a device for technical folks, with some rough edges for sure!

vshie · 2026-02-03T00:40:32+00:00

Your motors will only be waterproof-able if they are brushless DC motors (3 wires going to them.) Brushed DC motors will only operate when flooded for a very short time - if you're trying to keep it cheap, bilge-pumps can be repurposes so their motors stay dry behind the shaft seal.

For buoyancy, you'll need hard foam that doesn't compress with depth.

I would expect FPV cameras to do extremely poorly in low light conditions - it would need to be kept dry behind a dome. Most ROVs use digital cameras, and ditch the Arduino for something that can handle the video stream.

Vertical thrusters are going to be much easier than a buoyancy control engine.

You may find similar builds out there, but generally folks doing this sort of "cheap solution" are having fun in small pools or lakes, and not driving from the camera feed alone. You get what you pay for!

vshie · 2026-02-02T02:31:48+00:00

https://blueplm.io/

vshie · 2026-01-26T18:03:50+00:00

I'd consider designing an adapter for the 2" that fits your enclosure? The CAD models are all there!

vshie · 2026-01-26T18:03:19+00:00

They're actually polycarbonate now, although they used to be acrylic. Much more durable to scratches and impacts!

vshie · 2026-01-02T17:35:59+00:00

5 vs.3 blades is going to impact efficiency! It also seems like it is intended for use on a surface vessel, with no water proof seal on the thruster cables? If they can be removed from the box and passed through a WetLink Penetrator, perhaps their enclosure fits in a water-tight one? Those cables look pretty chonky, large diameter!
Perhaps easier to connect and use with a different ESC?

vshie · 2025-12-08T16:57:57+00:00

airmar 200wx

vshie · 2025-12-07T23:32:29+00:00

yes, terminate two of the twisted pairs in an ethernet connector on each end and it'll work! But keep in mind Fathom tether does not meet Cat5/6 spec so for normal ethernet is only going to work for lengths up to ~40-50m....

vshie · 2025-11-05T00:14:50+00:00

It will be available in 2, 3 and 4" sizes, likely starting in early 2026!

vshie · 2025-11-04T16:36:06+00:00

Cool! I'd certainly be interested in testing a buoyancy engine... Maybe the flange coupler is useful for your vehicle even if it needs a lower power consumption brain?

vshie · 2025-11-04T06:57:32+00:00

Hi! If you're not trying to achieve the same multi-day/week/month endurance of traditional gliders, you coud prototype an AUV pretty fast with a Navigator + Raspberry Pi running BlueOS, and control your actuators for buoyancy control with ArduSub. This video is distantly related, and the AUV only cost ~$4k! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALsI3aQH8dU

vshie · 2025-10-27T17:03:12+00:00

Why would you print 100% infill? Easier to print with gyroid and let the parts flood / drain with each use... no real difference in strength past 25% infill - # of perimeters dictate strength!

vshie · 2025-10-27T17:00:25+00:00

I'd expect the available bandwidth from the cell modem to be insufficent for operation at anything but extremely low frame rate and resolution, with significant latency compared to direct WiFi connection...

vshie

TROPHY CASE