10 amazing Waterborne projects
By Rob Zwetsloot. Posted
Electronics and water don’t mix – that’s one of the core rules of making. However, our planet’s surface is mostly covered in water, which means some intrepid makers have decided to bend that rule and put Raspberry Pi on and beneath water.
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01. Roboat
Using three empty contact lens solution bottles, a Raspberry Pi Pico, and many prayers, this little robot boat zooms across water with the help of a smartphone app.
02. Nemo-Pi
One of the major threats to coral reefs is climate change, and Nemo-Pi is able to monitor the local ‘weather’ of the ocean surrounding the coral reefs while underwater.
03. Antarctic Picam
Inspired by a project in an old issue of The MagPi, this simple watertight PVC tube built by a young maker has been used to study algae living on ice in the Antarctic.
04. BlueROV2
From £3,649/$4,900
This professional-grade ROV is very affordable for what it can do, and it can do a lot – including going down as deep as 300 metres, which is actually a big deal.
05. Submersible drone
The term for an underwater drone is ROUV (Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle), and this basic yet sturdy build is completely home-made.
06. LEGO submarine
This LEGO submarine is a fairly simple submersible using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and a syringe as a ballast tank. The LEGO provides the structure of the interior components, as well as a little seat for the LEGO Minifigure captain.
07. SailBot
Tired of constantly winning robotic sailing regattas, students at the University of British Columbia decided to create Ada, an autonomous sailing boat that sailed from America to Ireland.
08. Maka Niu
The deeper you go in the ocean, the harder it is to keep tech going. Maka Niu can descend to at least 1500 metres, with a theoretical maximum of 6000 metres. James Cameron can only dream.
09. Raftberry
If you’re lucky enough to be able to take friends out on a lake, why not create a powered dock they can just chill on, eat lunch, and dip their toes in the water? All powered by a Raspberry Pi and accessories.
10. Yacht navigation
Buying a 30-year-old boat can apparently come with the issue of severely worn and damaged electrical systems. Nothing a Raspberry Pi and a bit of know-how can’t fix.
Rob is amazing. He’s also the Features Editor of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, a hobbyist maker, cosplayer, comic book writer, and extremely modest.
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