Next Seastead Model


The picture above shows the next Seastead model we are starting on. This is using the legs and floats from a previous 1/6 scale model. Note the "heave plates" at the end of the legs, which reduce up and down motion. This model ends up a bit longer but not as wide as the previous one. In the case of bad waves we can head into them, so trading off a bit more length for a bit narrower is probably good. But the real thing is this models the idea of using a culvert body. The body is 2 foot diameter and about 6 feet long, so at 1/6 scale this is modeling a 12 foot diameter and 36 foot long culvert.

You can also see a short video on this model

The barrels are also a nice waterproof place to put the Jetson Nano computer, gps, 4G adapter, and Swarm sat link. They are so large that getting rid of heat is not a problem.

The barrels are also a nice place to put some solar panels, as the culverts will be in full scale.

We made a previous solar powered model with two motors. For that one we programmed a phone with App Inventor and had the phone talk to a bluetooth relay controller to control the two motors. But that was kind of small for the ocean (about 4 feet).

This new one will have two trolling motors. We are using Python on a Jetson Nano. It should be able to handle normal weather in the Caribbean.

We will train a neural network on the Jetson Nano to recognize different boat and ship types. Then when it sees something it can send back a short code. This is nice because the bandwidth on the Swarm Sat Link is limited. We can also send messages to the model giving it new waypoints to go to. With a number of these we could patrol the ocean near Anguilla for illegal fishing activity.

The full scale dimentions are estimated to be:

  1. Body length: 39 feet
  2. Body diameter: 10 feet
  3. Leg length: 39 feet
  4. Leg diameter: 1 foot
  5. Float length: 19 feet
  6. Float diameter: 2 feet
  7. Total weight: 13,000 lbs
  8. Heave Plate: 4 feet by 4 feet