Buoy-Bot

Buoys that put themselves where they belong.

Buoy-Bot is a set of autonomous, self-positioning robotic buoys. They drive themselves into position on open water and hold station there — no anchors, no measuring, no second boat.

How it's designed and built → In active development
Isometric render of the Buoy-Bot spar hull: a slim vertical float with the equipment carried below the waterline.
Spar-hull design, built from off-the-shelf parts

How it works

It knows where it is

Each buoy carries high-precision satellite positioning and a digital compass, so it can compare where it should be against where it actually is.

It corrects, continuously

Twin thrusters hold heading and position against wind and current, trimming the buoy back onto its mark rather than drifting off it.

It works as a fleet

The buoys form their own wireless network and coordinate with each other, so a whole layout is placed and held as one group from a single app.

What it's for

The first application is a waterski slalom course. Instead of setting and anchoring each buoy by hand, the fleet is told the layout and the buoys take themselves there, then stay put for as long as they're needed.

The same idea generalises to anything that needs marks placed accurately on water and kept there — courses, boundaries and temporary markers that would otherwise be surveyed in and anchored every time.