The world is getting smaller, but in doing so, we push ourselves to adventure through every inch of it. Space is cool, but there’s so much on Earth still left to discover. A big trend in adventure exploration is the ocean, both atop and deep below. Unfortunately, this is an adventure mainly reserved for big game fisherman, researchers, and truly committed nautical adventurers. It’s too expensive of an adventure for the common man to enjoy the ocean beyond going to the beach and maybe the occasional vacation on a cruise ship. But now, BlueRobotics has opened up the world of marine robotics to the everyday consumer with their invention, the T100.
The T100 is the brainchild of Rustom Jehangir, Joe Spadola and Josh Villbrandt. They were designing a solar powered surfboard that would sail from Cali to Hawaii unmanned, when they ran into a problem finding an affordable motor that was tough enough to get the job done. Being the tech savvy young sprites they are, they didn’t give up on their project or give in to using an inferior product, but instead built their own motor from scratch. What they created is the T100, a motorized thruster that is an affordable, high performance addition to the world of marine robotics.
This thruster is capable of five pounds of thrust. This may not sound like a lot of power, but just two of these thrusters are all that’s needed to carry their surfboard on its three-month journey through the Pacific. The thruster is also capable of dropping to 0.03 lbs of thrust, which is perfect for accurately maneuvering a ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle), so expect to see a lot more videos of deep sea adventure as videographers will finally be able to afford getting the underwater shots they crave.
It is a mostly plastic design, but that isn’t to be cheap, it’s to prevent saltwater corroding it like it does with metal. Even the bearings for the motor are plastic. The few parts that are metal are either aluminum or stainless steal, which perform well against corrosion. The compact design, measuring 4 by 3.75 inches, wastes no space. Even better, it has no cavities for air or oil, which can cripple a motor from the growing pressure as you go deeper in the ocean, meaning that this little guy can go lower and further than some of his bigger competitors.
If you want to get your hands on a T100 (for only $100), or if you’re just a fan of marine robotics, you should support its production, and help people around the world to better discover the ocean and her many secrets.
