Design, Fabrication and control of a swarm of ocean drones
Reza Alam, Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Applications for Fall 2025 are closed for this project.
This project develops swarm of autonomous sailboat drones powered by a hybrid renewable energy system that integrates wind propulsion, wave energy harvesting, and solar power generation. The vessels are designed for long-duration, self-sustained operation at sea, enabling continuous environmental monitoring without reliance on external charging infrastructure. The platform combines aerodynamic sail design, pendulum-based wave energy converters, and deck-mounted solar panels to provide robust, redundant power in varying ocean conditions. Field deployment and testing ensure that the system can withstand harsh marine environments while maintaining optimal energy balance and mission performance.
Role: Mechanical fabrication of sailboat components, including hull structures, masts, and control surfaces.
Designing custom PCBs for onboard power management, sensor integration, and control systems.
PCB manufacturing, including in-house soldering and assembly of electronics.
3D printing and post-processing of mechanical and housing components.
Integrating electronics and mechanical systems into a seaworthy, modular platform.
Field testing the drones at the marina, including setup, deployment, and performance evaluation under real-world conditions.
Qualifications: We require a *minimum* time commitment of 12 hours a week.
At least one of the following is required:
1- Circuit design/Electronics
2- controls
3- Machine shop and fabrication experience.
4- Dynamics
5- Data Science/ Machine Learning
6- Interest in a startup environment and moving the engineering idea to the market.
Hours: 12 or more hours
Engineering, Design & Technologies