Since the transition from the age of sails to propeller propulsion in naval transport, the shipping industry has become a substantial source of pollution, with merchant shipping accounting for 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. As the world seeks to make yet another transition, from fossil fuels and other pollutants to renewable and sustainable energy sources, there is much research and development to do in order to make this feasible at the scale of modern naval vessels and activity. To that end, the competition Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) is an annual event coordinated and sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). It is a significantly smaller scale than the large shipping out there, with the boat built by a previous senior design team of naval engineers and measuring approximately 16 feet in length.

There are two primary changes the group working on the boat want to make this year. The first change is an upgrade to the battery system. The previous iteration of the vessel used lead-acid batteries, which are relatively heavy and inefficient. The batteries are to be replaced with lithium-ion (LiPo) batteries, which are lighter and have better power density than the lead-acid ones. This process will include making sure the batteries can be easily recharged, likely by removing them and allowing the potential for battery swaps. Additionally, the motor controls are currently burnt-out and need to be replaced, which allows for the selection of a motor control system potentially able to handle a fairly high power load from the efficient LiPo batteries.

The second change/addition the group is making is a data communication system allowing for ship-to-shore (S2S) transmission of information from the ship. The intention is to allow the shore based portion of the team to observe and interpret data, freeing the driver to focus on driving the boat as long as they also have voice comms with the shore team. The data transmitted will include heading, GPS position, speed, and possibly information on whether the watertight integrity of key components is not compromised. The boat is to relay this information up to several miles to send the data to the shore team, for whom it will be displayed on a dashboard.

There exist two patents that I found for fundamentally similar ideas to the one I am exploring. The first is from Great Britain, for an autonomous robot AI vessel with significant onboard sensor capabilities and powered by renewable energy sources (wind and solar). The second patent is an American patent for a multi-role unmanned vehicle system

I am not fully sure how to model the boat part of the system. Perhaps the elements might be the boat driver, the boat, the lake, and the que to start the race? As far as the process model, I will be focusing on the boat to shore system. Please pardon the text-based layout of this.

On-board sensors --> Raspberry Pi with 4G HAT cellular connection --> server --> internet dashboard accessible to shore team --> voice communications with driver of boat

Our team split the development and research of modules into a number of components which we intend to synthesize with assembly and field-testing to prepare for our competition. For the manned boat, improved batteries need to be acquired, installed, and tested as well as development of charging procedure. The motor controller needs to be replaced and the new one properly implemented. For measurement purposes, a load cell is going to be added to the propulsion system and will need to be calibrated and installed. Additionally, the boat to shore system will be installed in the boat. Time permitting, it will be hooked up to the motor controller and other internal systems to transmit that data as well.

The unmanned boat hull already exists as well. To reduce weight and improve effieciency, a new top deck cover will be built and mounted. During the time the boat is uncovered, however, CNC machining will be performed to reduce the overall mass of the hull, as it is thicker and heavier than it needs to be. If needed, metal struts will be used to increase structural strength at a lower weight than the removed hull material. The PixHawk telemetry system will also be integrated into the unmanned boat including connections for motor control, as it hosts the automatic guidance system.

This project is not without ethics and liability issues, though. As we have seen in Ukraine, autonomous and unmanned but controlled systems such as drones can be used as weapons of conflict and unfortunately the unmanned boat is of a nature that could lead to a similar unintended use after sale to a commercial market. The batteries are also significant liabilities, as electrical fires are very hazardous especially in a marine environment. Conventional fire extinguishing can not be utilized and dry chemical extinguishers can be be expensive and environmentally harmful. Additionally, the end-of-life disposal for batteries and other electronics produces significant environmental strain. The manned boat will have 30 pounds or more of batteries onboard. The batteries may also age or lose maximum charge capacity with usage and time, which combines with regular development of battery technology to create a vessel that is significantly under-performing as it ages and newer batteries are used on newer models which it might be compared to.

(Assignment 8)

(Ethics) (Battery Disposal)