521: RoboBoat (Multidisciplinary Team)

The RoboBoat competition, an annual event joining teams from across the globe, challenges them to navigate their robotic boats through an obstacle course. The tasks within these courses change each year. 

Our boat hull was an improvement of the FSU Panama City team’s 2019 hull, with reinforcement placed to support weight. We focused on developing electrical parts, specifically the navigation system, and aimed to make it easier for future teams to use and adjust depending on their needs. The apparatus follows the competition safety standards and has flexible code that works with different sensors and motors. The vehicle is also able to sense and navigate on its own. The code used to operate the boat is well documented for the future teams to build from. 

The safety standards call for the boat to have a physical and remote kill button and to waterproof electrical parts. To do this, we created an on-board kill switch (a big red button). There is another button on a remote control that turns off the power from far away using radio signals. These kill switches instantly shut down all power going to the components throughout the boat in case of emergencies. A rubber seal added around the edges of the hull protects the electrical parts from water. For power, two batteries provide the charge. Using these components, the boat is able to navigate precisely to certain spots, identify obstacles ahead and steer clear of obstacles met along the way.