Buoi | Devpost

Future Version Render

Inspiration

28-35% of all maritime incidents are caused by structural maintenance issues to the vessel. This puts humans and the environment in frequent danger. Our goal is to prevent disaster whether it be oil spill prevention for refineries or cruise ships with hundreds of people.

What it does

We analyze the structural integrity, damages, and deterioration of the underside of ocean vehicles/ structures by creating a reviewable 3d map of the underside of our vessel. These maps highlight potential problem points and allow for remote inspection of these vessels without people getting in the water.

How we built it

Software: Frontend user interface and image processing run on an external laptop. The image processing algorithm utilizes VGGT (Visual Geometry Grounded Transformer) to parse a 3d model of our environment based on the localization of images provided. The frontend user interface combines the communication with the microcontroller device and the image processing algorithm to create a viewable 3d plane of our environment in a webapp viewer.
Firmware: Built upon a PlatformIO Arduino framework for the ESP32, firmware handles the motor and servo control systems that interface with our teleoperation server if they are on the same network.
Electrical: Prototyped proto-board with soldered connections between an ESP32, motor drivers, motors, and servos. Relies on a AA battery pack for microcontroller power and LiPo battery pack for a split motor power.
Mechanical: WATERPROOF - Floats and maneuvers using a boat with motors on it, with an attached 20'' camera mount under the boat. Camera mount actuates with a pulley from servo feedback to angle camera at several positions.

Challenges we ran into

Water proofing electronics
Computer vision reliability
3d print times with chassis size

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Created and integrated a 3d viewer and the computer vision algorithm in a webpage server
Implemented a teleoperable boat framework over WiFi
We had fun

What we learned

Next time, we should start the mechanical build phase sooner
Plan in advance for parts that you may need for the project

What's next for Buoi

We hope to impact people around the world by making our oceans and lakes safer. In the future, we will improve upon our current designs with custom made chassis and improved hardware for our systems.