The Right Approach: Get Ready for ISO 9001 Version 6
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Still Broke: Walmart’s Remarkable Transformation'
Driving Innovation: Depth Routing Processes—Achieving Unparalleled Precision in Complex PCBs
Autonomous Boats Can Target and Latch Onto Each Other
June 5, 2019 | MITEstimated reading time: 6 minutes
The city of Amsterdam envisions a future where fleets of autonomous boats cruise its many canals to transport goods and people, collect trash, or self-assemble into floating stages and bridges. To further that vision, MIT researchers have given new capabilities to their fleet of robotic boats — which are being developed as part of an ongoing project — that lets them target and clasp onto each other, and keep trying if they fail.
Image Caption: MIT researchers have given their fleet of autonomous “roboats” the ability to automatically target and clasp onto each other — and keep trying if they fail. The roboats are being designed to transport people, collect trash, and self-assemble into floating structures in the canals of Amsterdam.
About a quarter of Amsterdam’s surface area is water, with 165 canals winding alongside busy city streets. Several years ago, MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) teamed up on the “Roboat” project. The idea is to build a fleet of autonomous robotic boats — rectangular hulls equipped with sensors, thrusters, microcontrollers, GPS modules, cameras, and other hardware — that provides intelligent mobility on water to relieve congestion in the city’s busy streets.
One of project’s objectives is to create roboat units that provide on-demand transporation on waterways. Another objective is using the roboat units to automatically form “pop-up” structures, such as foot bridges, performance stages, or even food markets. The structures could then automatically disassemble at set times and reform into target structures for different activities. Additionally, the roboat units could be used as agile sensors to gather data on the city’s infrastructure, and air and water quality, among other things.
In 2016, MIT researchers tested a roboat prototype that cruised around Amsterdam’s canals, moving forward, backward, and laterally along a preprogrammed path. Last year, researchers designed low-cost, 3-D-printed, one-quarter scale versions of the boats, which were more efficient and agile, and came equipped with advanced trajectory-tracking algorithms.
In a paper presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the researchers describe roboat units that can now identify and connect to docking stations. Control algorithms guide the roboats to the target, where they automatically connect to a customized latching mechanism with millimeter precision. Moreover, the roboat notices if it has missed the connection, backs up, and tries again.
The researchers tested the latching technique in a swimming pool at MIT and in the Charles River, where waters are rougher. In both instances, the roboat units were usually able to successfully connect in about 10 seconds, starting from around 1 meter away, or they succeeded after a few failed attempts. In Amsterdam, the system could be especially useful for overnight garbage collection. Roboat units could sail around a canal, locate and latch onto platforms holding trash containers, and haul them back to collection facilities.
“In Amsterdam, canals were once used for transportation and other things the roads are now used for. Roads near canals are now very congested — and have noise and pollution — so the city wants to add more functionality back to the canals,” says first author Luis Mateos, a graduate student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and a researcher in the MIT Senseable City Lab. “Self-driving technologies can save time, costs and energy, and improve the city moving forward.”
“The aim is to use roboat units to bring new capabilities to life on the water,” adds co-author Daniela Rus, director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “The new latching mechanism is very important for creating pop-up structures. Roboat does not need latching for autonomous transporation on water, but you need the latching to create any structure, whether it’s mobile or fixed.”
Joining Mateos on the paper are: Wei Wang, a joint postdoc in CSAIL and the Senseable City Lab; Banti Gheneti, a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Fabio Duarte, a DUSP and Senseable City Lab research scientist; and Carlo Ratti, director of the Senseable City Lab and a principal investigator and professor of the practice in DUSP.
Page 1 of 2
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
SkyWater Completes Acquisition of Fab 25, Expanding U.S. Pure-Play Foundry Capacity for Critical Semiconductor Technologies
09/12/2025 | SkyWaterSkyWater Technology, the trusted technology realization partner, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Infineon Technologies AG’s 200 mm semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas (“Fab 25”)
Closing the Loop on PCB Etching Waste
09/09/2025 | Shawn Stone, IECAs the PCB industry continues its push toward greener, more cost-efficient operations, Sigma Engineering’s Mecer System offers a comprehensive solution to two of the industry’s most persistent pain points: etchant consumption and rinse water waste. Designed as a modular, fully automated platform, the Mecer System regenerates spent copper etchants—both alkaline and acidic—and simultaneously recycles rinse water, transforming a traditionally linear chemical process into a closed-loop system.
Automation Meets Sustainability
09/08/2025 | Rick Nichols, GreenSource EngineeringGreenSource Engineering (GSE) is proud to have contributed to the first successful reshoring of a PCB facility on a greenfield site in the United States. While we are honored to have played a key role, full credit for this achievement goes to SEL for its vision, commitment, and professionalism.
Blue Water Autonomy Announces $50 Million Series A Led by GV to Strengthen U.S. Maritime Power with Autonomous, Unmanned Ships
08/26/2025 | PRNewswireBlue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company designing and building highly producible unmanned ships for the U.S. Navy, announced $50 million in Series A funding led by GV.
SEL: Revolutionizing PCB Production Through MES, Partnerships, and Vision
08/21/2025 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Two years ago, we visited Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) to better understand its new captive greenfield PCB facility. We recently returned, this time to discuss how this bold vision has transformed the industry. Barry Matties met with John Hendrickson, engineering director, and Jessi Hall, vice president of vertical integration, to discuss the transformative capabilities of Factory Core, SEL’s custom manufacturing execution system (MES), which allows for real-time monitoring of workflow and machine performance, and has led to impressive improvements in quality and cost efficiency.