A navigational buoy that includes a finned, hollow, transparent, spherical shell that floats on water. A multi-wheeled motor-unit sits inside the shell, and ballast weights attached to the motor unit cause it to rest on the bottom of the shell. A biasing structure attached to the motor unit, lights, and other aspects are included in some embodiments.

A method including operating a vehicle in a medium. The vehicle is subject to advection due to movement of the medium. The method also includes measuring, using a navigation system, positions of a vehicle over time. The method also includes measuring, using a directional sensor, a course-through-medium over the time. The method also includes calculating, using the positions and the course-through-medium, a variation of a speed-over-ground of the vehicle over the time as a function of the course-through-medium over the time. The method also includes concurrently estimating, using the variation, 1) an average speed-through-medium for the vehicle over the time, and 2) an advection rate of the medium, and 3) an advection direction of the medium.

A watercraft including: a motor drive; a stern module; a bow module releasably connected to the stern module by a first connector; a controller; and a remote control configured to be operated by an operator. The remote control being configured to transfer movement control signals to the controller for operating the motor drive. Where the stern module having a first receiver, and the bow module having a transmitter. The transmitter is connected to the remote control and is configured to transmit the movement control signals received from the remote control. The first receiver is configured to receive the movement control signals from the first transmitter and forward the movement control signals to the controller.

Described herein are systems, methods, and devices for detecting harmful algae blooms. An example system includes autonomous watercraft; and a computing device operably connected to the autonomous watercraft over a network, the computing device including a processor and a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that cause the processor to: surveil a body of water for an algae growth; receive a local condition at the body of water; predict a spread of the algae growth in the body of water based on the local condition; determine a deployment strategy for the autonomous watercraft based on the spread of the algae growth; and transmit one or more control signals to the plurality of autonomous watercraft based on the deployment strategy, where the autonomous watercraft are configured to collect and analyze a plurality of water samples to determine whether the algae growth is a harmful algae bloom.

An electric hybrid outboard engine for a traditional fuel-based outboard motor of a boat that can be retrofitted. The electric hybrid outboard engine includes a hybrid motor and a control unit. The hybrid motor can be switched between an active mode and a passive mode, the hybrid motor in the active mode acts as a motor to drive the propeller using electrical energy stored in a battery, and in the passive mode act as a generator configured to be driven by rotations of the shaft for charging the battery. The control unit can control the engaging and disengaging of the hybrid motor to the shaft and switching of the hybrid motor between the active mode and the passive mode.

An apparatus for collecting floating marine debris comprises a frame, a debris collection container in communication with a rear opening of the frame, a pair of helicoidal screws mounted to the frame in a symmetrical V-arrangement that tapers inwardly from a front opening of the frame to the rear opening, and at least one prime mover rotationally coupled to the pair of helicoidal screws. The prime mover is operable to rotate the helicoidal screws in opposite directions at the same angular velocity in water to move the apparatus forward through the water, such that floating marine debris enters the apparatus through the front opening, passes through the rear opening and is collected in the debris collection container.

Disclosed is an algal bloom measuring system includes a body that floats on a water surface in a divided area, an algal bloom sensor unit disposed in the body and that generates an electric current through algae distributed in water, a controller that detects the electric current generated by the algal bloom sensor unit and determine whether algae are present, and a communication unit that transmits alga determination information of the controller to an outside.

A solar electric pump-out boat for removing human waste. The pump-out boat may include a boat hull, wherein the boat hull may include a bow, a stern, and a self-draining sole disposed therein. The pump-out boat may further include a holding tank disposed within the hull underneath the self-draining sole for collecting waste. The pump-out boat may further include a console disposed approximately center of, and on a top surface of the self-draining sole. The pump-out boat may further include a solar panel for absorbing sunlight to convert into electrical power. The pump-out boat may further include a pump disposed within the console. The pump-out boat may further include a battery connected to a motor, the pump, and the solar panel, such that the solar panel charges the battery to provide the electrical power to operate the pump and the motor.

A watercraft includes a positioning system having a controller and at least two stationary mounted propulsion units that are stationary with respect to the watercraft for generating a forward and backward thrust with respect to the respective propulsion unit in a respectively fixed direction with respect to the watercraft. The controller is arranged for individually controlling the thrust generated by each of the two propulsion units for moving and steering the watercraft.

A solar boat with an adjustable angle of a solar panel of the present disclosure comprises: a cabin unit; a boat body provided below the cabin unit and including a first fixing unit and a second fixing unit; a solar panel unit provided above the cabin unit and configured to convert solar energy into electrical energy; a first pole provided with a first connector at an upper end thereof and connected to a front left bottom of the solar panel unit via the first connector, and provided with a second connector at a lower end thereof and connected to the boat body via the second connector; a second pole provided with a third connector at an upper end thereof and connected to a front right bottom of the solar panel unit via the third connector, and provided with a fourth connector at a lower portion thereof and connected to the boat body via the fourth connector; a third pole provided with a fifth connector at an upper end thereof and connected to a rear left bottom of the solar panel unit via the fifth connector, provided with a sixth connector at a lower portion thereof and connected to the boat body via the sixth connector, and provided with a seventh connector below the sixth connector and connected to an upper end of a first adjustment unit via the seventh connector; a fourth pole provided with an eighth connector at an upper end thereof and connected to a rear right bottom of the solar panel unit via the eighth connector, provided with a ninth connector at a lower portion thereof and connected to the boat body via the ninth connector, and provided with a tenth connector below the ninth connector and connected to an upper end of a second adjustment unit via the tenth connector; the first adjustment unit connected to the seventh connector at an upper end thereof, provided with an eleventh connector at a lower end thereof and connected to the first fixing unit via the eleventh connector, and being adjustable in its length; and the second adjustment unit connected to the tenth connector at an upper end thereof, provided with a twelfth connector at a lower end thereof and connected to the second fixing unit via the twelfth connector, and being adjustable in its length, and has the effects that can perform efficient solar power generation according to the surrounding environment or the direction of sunlight by enabling the angle adjustment of the solar panels installed on the roof of the solar boat, and that can reduce the volume of the solar boat when anchored, and can resolve the problem of taking up a lot of space by the fixed solar panels when anchored by enabling the angle adjustment of the solar panels installed on the roof of the solar boat and the storag