After a successful crowdfunding effort in 2012 for the OpenROV project the team is running another Kickstarter for the OpenROV Trident, a drone for underwater exploration that anyone can use. The Trident is the result of four years of lessons learned from manufacturing and operating the AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicle) along with feedback from the well developed network of open source developers and explorers who work with the current system.
Trident is designed to move in long straight survey lines for efficient exploration and data collection, and maneuver in small spaces. The hydrodynamic thrusters give Trident the ability to slowly move completely vertically or pitch while moving at high speeds. Two horizontal and one vertical thruster work together to give the operator better control.
A 25 meter tether is included with the Trident kits and a 100 meter option is available for purchase as well. The top speed of the unit is two meters per second and the drone can run for three hours without charging. The outer frame of the trident is overmolded rubber intended to make the system more durable.
Data accumulation and transmission was overhauled for this new model, and a buoyant tether now communicates to a towable buoy on the surface of the water. The operator can access the buoy through wifi, increasing the practical range of the vehicle. Connecting to the buoy allows the operator to control Trident through a laptop or tablet without being physically connected to the AUV.
There are a few case studies of the Trident being used to collect data on the Kickstarter page. The OCTOPUS Foundation and Novalta used a unit during their Fiskardo Greece Expedition to develop a 3D model of the ocean floor. Hull inspections and fish finding expeditions are also showcased.
After asking for $50,000 to cover production startup costs the project has already pulled in more than $350,000 and won’t stop collecting pledges until October 31, 2015. Final units are expected to ship in November, 2016. It’s awesome to see an already successful open source exploration initiative like this bring another version of itself into the maker space. The OpenROV community is already very active showing their expeditions, control theory and programming tweaks. This new AUV will be a great tool to explore new spaces.