OSAB

Open Source Autonomous Boat

A student led project working to develop small autonomous vessels for science research, environmental action, emergency response, law enforcement, and more.

Designing Our Vessels

Solar Powered

OSAB vessels will be powered by solar. Extra energy is stored in a LiFePO4 rechargeable battery array which powers the vessel through long nights and bad weather, allowing it to operate for extended periods.

Autonomous

Our vessels will be controlled by a microcontroller running our own custom firmware. It will use pre-programmed GPS waypoint missions to guide itself without the need for human intervention.

Open Source

OSAB is an open-source project, meaning anyone can download the code, CAD models, and schematics required to build our vessels. Being open-source also allows the community to contribute, increasing quality while decreasing project costs.

For Science

Each boat will be equipped with an assortment of sensors and modules, working together to give us insight into our oceans, rivers, lakes, and atmosphere as well as actively protect them by deploying various payloads.

Our Mission

We aim to innovate in the field of autonomous vessels and enable others around the world to utilize this technology as a tool to solve the local and global issues impacting them.

Our Goal

Our goal is to create resources and develop open technologies and standards to enable the use of autonomous vessels for applications such as research, education, emergency and disaster response, maritime law enforcement, and more.

Our Philosophy

We believe in an open and collaborative philosophy. The best way to solve problems is to work together to develop solutions and make them available to those who need them. Withholding ideas, knowledge, and research only inhibits progress and increases disparities. We are working to increase access to autonomous vessels and reduce the cost of building and operating such vessels. We hope that communities and individuals will begin to apply this technology to solve the issues they face every day. By collaborating as a global community, we believe this technology can grow to improve the lives of many people around the world.

What We Do

Technology

We will iterate on existing technologies and develop new ones to progress the field of autonomous vessels. This will include specialized protocols for communication, domain-specific languages for mission specification and control, and innovative designs for hulls and propulsion systems.

Standards

We will develop open standards for mechanical, electrical, and software systems. This will increase the modularity of systems, increase interoperability between different vehicles and vendors, and reduce the barrier to designing new vessels. We will utilize existing robust standards, extend them, and develop new ones when necessary.

Designs

We will develop open-source designs for vessels and payload systems to serve as a platform for solutions to be built upon. These vessels will be modular and flexible, enabling them to be equipped and utilized for many different applications without needing to design a solution from the ground up.

Resources

We will document our knowledge as we research and design these technologies. We will make guides for designing, building, and operating autonomous vessels. We will create resources teaching relevant ideas and concepts in science and engineering. Finally, we will publish research and data from missions we operate.

About

OSAB is working to create open-source, autonomous, 3D printed, vessels to help monitor the earth’s oceans and collect important scientific data on ocean and atmosphere health as well as the health of sea life. With the use of high quality scientific sensors and instruments, our vessels will be able to track sea life and record water and atmosphere measurements like temperature, humidity, pH, and salinity. With specialized vessel configurations, we can even collect water samples for lab research and deploy experiments and solutions like buoys or coral reef starters.

Applications & Impact

Science & Research
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Education
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Environmental Action
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Disaster Response
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Law Enforcement
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Support Us

OSAB needs funding and support to achieve its goals. Every dollar counts so donate the price of your morning coffee or if you are feeling generous, donate more! If you can’t donate, you can still help us by sharing this project with your family and friends.

Donate

Join The Community

Join our Discord server and watch us as we work on OSAB. Get access to project updates and talk to our team members. Ask questions about the project or give us suggestions!

Discord

Join The Team

The OSAB team needs people like you who are dedicated to helping the environment and passionate about science and engineering. We need people who are excited to learn and not afraid to fail.

Apply Now!

A Special Thanks To Our Sponsors!

T-Mobile & Ashoka

T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge Grant

T-Mobile and Ashoka awarded $5,000 to our project. We hope to use this money to build our first working prototypes and run missions in Pacific City.

America's Promise Alliance

Power Of Youth Mini Grant

America’s Promise Alliance awarded OSAB $300 to assist us in getting the project off the ground. We were able to purchase tools and hardware for prototypes using the funds.