D.R.E.A.M.S is a modular autonomous survey boat, designed and built from scratch by Northeastern engineering students to map water quality in small bodies of water.
Data Recovery for Environmental And Marine Surveillance
01 · Why we build
Two students, one semester, a boat that drove itself on real water
Two students. One semester. A boat that drove itself on real water.
We built the first D.R.E.A.M.S in London during our first year at Northeastern: a 3D-printed catamaran that navigated to GPS waypoints on its own at St Katharine Docks. Since then we've redesigned it twice. Now we're building a modular platform that labs, watershed groups and ports can send out to see what's in their water.
1semester to build and water-test V1
≈1 kmradio link to shore on V1
3generations, V1 → V3
5water-quality sensors on the V3 pod
02 · Build log
Built by hand. Tested in the water.
Every part was sketched, modeled, printed, wired and tested by us, including the parts that didn't work.
V3 splits the boat into a Raspberry Pi 5 mission computer and two Raspberry Pi Pico 2 real-time controllers on one custom carrier board. Sensors and payloads are modular, so each build can be configured for the job.
Two Raspberry Pi Pico 2sThe real-time controllers, socketed on the underside: one runs the motors, winch and RC, the other the sensors, GPS and the pod link. Only their header holes show here.
Raspberry Pi 5 socketThe Pi plugs in here, face down on standoffs. The header carries its 5 V power, a serial link to the control Pico and a reset line for each Pico.
CAN link to motor controllersTJA1051 transceiver and a 3-pin connector to the two VESC motor controllers, plus a jumper for the 120 Ω terminator.
I²C sensor multiplexerTCA9548A splits one I²C bus into 8 channels: IMU, accelerometer, barometer, light sensor, two humidity sensors, power monitors, GPS compass.
Sensor-pod link (RS-485)THVD2410 transceiver and a 4-pin connector for the tether to the water-sensing pod. The same cable carries 15 V to power the pod.
GPS connector6-pin cable socket for the u-blox M10 GPS module: serial data plus the I²C lines of its built-in compass.
RC receiver input (SBUS)3-pin socket for the radio-control receiver, the manual override. Its 5 V supply is fused loosely so it never nuisance-trips.
Battery inputsTwo XT60 connectors take the boat's 10S battery bus: one feed for the electronics, and one for the winch used in the later sample-collection stage. A 5 V buck regulator on the underside powers the Pi and both Picos.
Battery monitors (INA228)Two INA228 chips with shunt resistors measure voltage and current on the electronics and winch feeds.
Winch safety cut-offA P-channel MOSFET switches power to the winch controller and fails safe: if the control Pico resets or loses power, the winch is off. Kept on the board for the later sample-collection stage.
Backup battery inputAn optional small 4S battery plugs in on the underside. If the main packs go off, it keeps the Pi, both Picos and the radios running.
V3 carrier board · rev F · top view · tap a number
Platform
Modular twin-hull catamaranNew V3 hull in CAD
Mission computer
Raspberry Pi 5Navigation, missions, cloud link
Real-time control
2 × Raspberry Pi Pico 2Motors, sensors, safety
Drive
2 × VESC on CAN busDifferential steering, 10S Li-ion
Navigation
u-blox M10 GPSBNO085 IMU for heading
Depth
Fish-finder sonarReplaces the pod's pressure sensor
Our first boat was built in one semester in London. In its water test it navigated to GPS waypoints on its own and held a radio link of about 1 km to shore.
Built inOne semester, spring 2026
WhereSt Katharine Docks, London · 51.507° N, 0.072° W
AutonomyNavigated to GPS waypoints on its own
Radio433 MHz link, about 1 km to shore
SamplingPod lowered by winch; temperature, conductivity and light at the bottom
ElectronicsThree RP2040 boards: boat, shore station and pod
Shown atThe inaugural Creators' Showcase, Northeastern University London
Creators' Showcase, NU London
Raspberry Pi 5
2 × Pico 2
2 × VESC
CAN bus
u-blox M10 GPS
BNO085 IMU
ESP32-S3 pod
RS-485 tether
Fish-finder sonar
4G LTE
10S Li-ion
PLA + epoxy hulls
KiCad
SolidWorks
Raspberry Pi 5
2 × Pico 2
2 × VESC
CAN bus
u-blox M10 GPS
BNO085 IMU
ESP32-S3 pod
RS-485 tether
Fish-finder sonar
4G LTE
10S Li-ion
PLA + epoxy hulls
KiCad
SolidWorks
05 · Roadmap
Where it's going.
Each version fixes what the last one taught us. The long-term goal goes beyond measuring water to collecting it.
Autonomous waypoint navigation, a 1 km radio link and bottom sampling, on a 3D-printed hull.
Complete
V2 · Summer 2026V2
The prototype that taught us
A Pi 5 brain, stereo vision and our first PCB. Never fully built; bench tests exposed the flaws that drove V3.
Prototype
V3 · Fall 2026 · NowV3
Autonomous surface surveys
V3 will drive itself around small bodies of water, sample at the surface with the pod and measure depth with a fish-finder sonar.
In build
LaterNext
Sample collection
A robotic arm on deck that works with the winch to collect water samples and sediment from the bottom.
Arm in development
Why sediment
In our conversations with the Port of Oakland and the Charles River Watershed Association, we learned that their teams still collect sediment samples by sending divers down. An arm on an autonomous boat could do that job without anyone going in the water.
06 · Try it
Don't take our word for it.
V1's route planner and V2's command center both run right in your browser.
We've built the boat ourselves so far. To finish V3 we're looking for funding, a mentor in the field, and places to machine and fabricate what we design.
Sponsor
PCBWayPCB fabrication
In conversation
Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)Data collection
