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MIT tests autonomous 'Roboat' that can carry two passengers
MIT looked at the original Roboat as “quarter-scale” option, with the Roboat II being half-scale; they’re slowly working up to the point of a full-scale option that can carry four to six passengers.
Autonomous 'roboats' can assemble into floating structures
Autonomous boats might soon do a favor for people who have no intention of charting a course. Researchers at MIT and AMS Institute have developed a new version of their 'Roboat' that can identify and latch on to fellow robots to form different structures, whether it's a foot bridge, a garbage collector or a stage for a concert. The boats use cameras, lidar and computer vision algorithms to look for fellow bots with QR-like tags (to help determine their relative position), and then position themselves for docking on command. They also know to try again if there's a botched attempt.
