Flexible USV
Blue Boat
With an innovative hull design, endless expansion possibilities, and open-source BlueOS software, it’s the ideal platform for hydrographic surveys and robotics system development.
Product Description
The BlueBoat was born from a desire to make uncrewed surface vessels just as easy to get started with as ROVs and drones.
The BlueBoat is the surface vessel for hydrographic surveys, robotic systems development, and scientific missions. Its weedless hull and propeller design, rugged construction, and compact transport size make it reliable and convenient to use, while its flexible electronics architecture, ample payload mounting areas, and it an ideal platform for integration of sonars and other sensors.
The BlueBoat exists for you to build on top of and is easily and endlessly expandable.
It’s a hydrographer’s pickup truck
The BlueBoat is designed to carry any payload that you want to integrate and to do so better than any other vehicle its size. We fit all of the control electronics, batteries, and wiring into the hulls so that the space between the hulls is completely dedicated to payload integration. The hulls are designed with flat inner walls, creating a low-wake sensor area ideal for survey sonars.
The original BlueBoat can carry up to 15 kg (33 lb) of batteries and payload. The cross members, brackets, and the bottom of the hull have mounting points so that you can mount anything, whether it’s a hydrographic survey echosounder, an enclosure full of prototype electronics, or both!
Electronics areas in both hulls leave plenty of dry space for internal hardware integration with access to dedicated payload power, interhull communications, and holes for electrical penetrators or connectors.
Weedless. Like, actually.
From the beginning, our vision for the BlueBoat has been one of reliability and trustworthiness. We knew from our own experiences with the SolarSurfer that getting stuck on weeds or debris quickly turns your uncrewed vehicle into an inconvenient and expensive rescue situation. So we developed a unique design that eliminates that problem.
The BlueBoat’s unique deep hull shape pushes weeds and debris down and out of the way. Anything that isn’t pushed down is brushed away by highly swept weedless propellers driven by two M200 Motors. That means that whether you’re doing a bathymetric survey in a weed-filled lake or studying a plastic-polluted waterway, you can count on the BlueBoat to get it done.
Autonomy is not an option – it comes standard.
Every BlueBoat includes a Navigator Flight Controller, GPS, and ArduRover control firmware with advanced autonomous navigation capabilities. Out of the box it can perform precision GPS waypoint navigation, position hold at a location, follow-me maneuvers, geo-fencing, automatic return-to-home if radio signal is lost, and more. Drag and drop mission planning makes it easy to design a complex mission in minutes.
If you prefer to operate the vehicle manually or take pride in smoothly docking it at the end of a mission, you can use a joystick controller to show off your skills.
Missions for days
Literally! The BlueBoat has best-in-class endurance capabilities with over 60 hours of continuous operating time when carrying the maximum supported number of batteries. Even with a single battery, it runs for upwards of 9 hours and can travel over 30 km.
