I've experimented with building a submersible robot and - by far - the most challenging aspect of the build was creating an interface between the motor and the propellor that was waterproof in a reliable way. (applying grease or something hydrophobic on a shaft lasts only so long)<p>By abstracting away that schlep for me, - a schlep, which is usually the least interesting bit about a machine - these guys might be able to create something analogous to Arduino for marine robots. Before Arduino, you needed a complete test bed to get a micro-controller up and running. After Arduino, you usually focus on what you want to do, instead of getting the micro-controller to work. That shift makes creating something extremely accessible, allowing anyone to jump in and try things out. A line of products like these, might actually make robotics far more accessible than any number of kits before it. In other words, this could be the start of something incredible.<p>Edit: I just realised another way of phrasing what they're doing. Imagine how hard payments was before Stripe came along. These people are basically the Stripe for marine robotics, which is really awesome.
A similar company is SeaBotix [0] they have a similar [1] thruster for sale but it uses a brushed motor. They have a newer generation product (not separately listed) that uses brushless motors that has integrated motor controller so all you need to do is send it power and I2C speed commands.<p>For people interested in this I recommend checking out the RobotSub [2] competition. Each team releases papers allowing you to see how the whole vehicle fits together.<p>0 - <a href="http://www.seabotix.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.seabotix.com/</a><p>1 - <a href="http://www.seabotix.com/products/auv_thrusters.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.seabotix.com/products/auv_thrusters.htm</a><p>2 - <a href="http://www.auvsifoundation.org/foundation/competitions/robosub/" rel="nofollow">http://www.auvsifoundation.org/foundation/competitions/robos...</a>
Something I wanted to ask for a long time:<p>> Many of the T100′s components are American made and sourced. It’s assembled in the USA. We’re proud of that.<p>Is that "made in the USA" thing really such a big selling point in the US? Because to me as an European that really is a little alienating. A "made in the US" logo - ok. But pointing out the proudness in marketing materials? Strange.
Another interesting alternative to a traditional motor is the "Slocum Glider", which dives and propels itself through the water by pumping oil between its body and an external bladder.<p><a href="http://www.whoi.edu/main/slocum-glider" rel="nofollow">http://www.whoi.edu/main/slocum-glider</a><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_glider" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_glider</a>
I've used thrusters in the $1000+ range and they tend to need maintenance every several hundred hours of use in nearly ideal situations. This isn't an easy project and can be very difficult for student groups (for example) to get right or to get affordable. Good luck to this project.
Wow this looks amazing.<p>I feel left out in the coming 'robotics revolution'. I am planning to take a couple of years off from work and switch careers into something robotics. I've been building my math base past couple of months, but I am utterly clueless as to where to even start with robotics.
presumably this? <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847478159/the-t100-a-game-changing-underwater-thruster?ref=card" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847478159/the-t100-a-ga...</a><p>I am worried they allow water running through the assembly, sea water is very corrosive and can't be in contact with any interesting materials (e.g. high performance magnets). /*<p>/* ok they use plastic bearings and stuff, not sure what the magnets are.
Extremely excited about this project. Anyone that wants to get into robotics for the ocean should check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Underwater-Robotics-Science-Design-Fabrication/dp/0984173706" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Underwater-Robotics-Science-Design-Fab...</a>
My senior engineering project in college was the development of a GPS-guided robotic boat for recreational purposes. Our team consisted of three electrical engineers with very little machine design experience (this was just the first of many aspects of this endeavor which were hilariously ill-thought out), so we ended up bashing together a makeshift thruster out of plumbing fittings and an electric trolling motor, with predictably awful results.<p>Seeing this brought back memories. A self-contained thruster unit intended for integration into a larger robot might just have saved our project, had it been available four years ago.
Looks a lot like what we did for OpenROV. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4CirrIgWo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4CirrIgWo</a>
Wow, looks great! I don't have much interest in making a boat, but this looks like a great Kickstarter.<p>Also, the thrust and efficiency looks crazy good on those! At 50% it looks like 1.2kg + what looks like 30g/W, which is insane efficiency compared to multirotor motors on the market now. I'm guessing the fact that you're in water helps substantially with that, right?
It seems like they should have waited for the surfboard thing to make it's journey before launching the kickstarter. It would have made the project seem a lot more credible. Like another poster mentioned, I'm sure a lot of drug traffickers would be willing to invest if it's proven to work
This and Saildrone promise a very exciting future for ocean exploration and data gathering.<p><a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/02/saildrone/" rel="nofollow">http://www.wired.com/2014/02/saildrone/</a>