Xocean

4th Semester

2021

Autonomous surveying boat

Xocean was created in collaboration with Jan Schnyder. The aim of the project was to make the time-consuming and costly measurement of the seabed more efficient. So far, the measurement at sea is only partially automated,

and the surveying drones are still being launched into the water from research vessels. For this reason, it was important for us to make this process as autonomous as possible in order to save time and thus costs.

Xocean

4th Semester

2021

Autonomous surveying boat

Xocean

4th Semester

2021

Autonomous surveying boat

Xocean was developed in collaboration with Jan Schnyder. The aim of the project was to make the time-consuming and costly measurement of the seabed more efficient. So far, the measurement at sea is only partially automated, and the survey drones are still dropped into the water by research vessels. For this reason, it was important for us to make this process as autonomous as possible in order to save time and thus costs.

New benchmark of efficiency

With Xocean, the time-consuming and expensive seabed surveying is a thing of the past. The survey process is fully automated and runs autonomously. No manned research vessels are needed anymore to deploy and retrieve the drones. This saves both money and time. Xocean consists of a transport boat and four underwater drones each. The boat is electrically powered and can supply itself and the drones with electricity for several months.

The boat with the drones starts from a harbor. The drones are dropped into the water at the surveying site through flaps. The survey is carried out systematically according to a grid. The boat and the drones work through this grid step by step. The drones only return to the boat to recharge. After completing the surveys, the boat with the drones returns to the designated harbor.

Design process

At the start of work, we began with quick and rough sketches and refined them during the process. In addition, we experimented with subdivision modeling in Cinema 4D to shape the hull.

When starting the work, we began with quick and rough sketches and developed them further during the process. In shaping the hull, we also experimented with Subdivision Modeling in Cinema 4D, which allowed us to quickly and easily design hull shapes. Afterward, we developed and refined the basic idea in the CAD program.

allowing us to quickly and easily design hull shapes. Subsequently, we developed and further refined the basic idea in the CAD program.