Abstract
Oil rigs, tankers, and pipelines, to this day, are susceptible to failures and leakages that cause immediate detrimental ecological effects on a micro and macro scale. While there were only 3 medium spills (7-700 tons) in 2020 in US waters, the NOAA estimates more than 30,000 smaller spills occur each year. In fact, 80% of oil spills globally are <7 tons each. These smaller-scale oil spills are often unreported due to poor detection systems and company interest in public image. BoomBoat seeks to target this segment of highly frequent, small-scale oil spills and improve upon existing methods for oil spill remediation. Our three primary components include: (1) Two autonomous guide boats (2) A flexible, partially submerged boom, to collect all oil by converging around it (3) An aerial drone to perceive, localize, and facilitate control of both boats as well as the spill itself. With this visual data, we can take advantage of the 2D motion of the boats and design planning to contain the oil spill in its entirety.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.