There’s a lot you can do with a Raspberry Pi. It’s a credit card-sized computer that costs next to nothing, and it’s about to become the brain of a tiny boat that its developer hopes will cross the Atlantic Ocean unaided.
It’s codenamed FishPi, and I’m already hungry. It’s going to consist of a Raspberry Pi computer, strapped to a solar panel and encased in a model boat that will navigate perilous seas all by itself.
Greg Holloway is the crazy sea dog who came up with the FishPi, and explains his ideas on the Raspberry Pi blog:
Massive 25-foot waves, 100km/h winds, torrential rain, lightning, and the Kraken. None of those things should be put anywhere near a Raspberry Pi. On the Atlantic Ocean all of those are common place, and that is exactly where I’m sending my Raspberry Pi.
FishPi will be powered by a 130watt solar panel, so there will be no masts or sails. The propulsion will run from batteries, charged by the solar panel, and it will utilise a Kort Nozzle to gain maximum thrust from what will be limited power.
On-board will be a compass, GPS and camera so we always know where the little adventurer is on its journey. It’s only a proof of concept right now, but Holloway is confidant it can become a reality. Oh please let it become a reality. I want to watch a model boat cross an ocean all by itself from the comfort of my office chair.
If the project does get off the ground, I suggest installing a small cannon to keep the seagulls away. You’ll thank me later. [Raspberry Pi Foundation]