BuoyNet

BuoyNet| Internet on the Ocean

Project Details

The Challenge | Internet on the Ocean

The internet is not easily accessible in many areas of the world, like the Earth’s oceans. Fishermen, sailors, and others have limited data connection with the rest of the world. Although satellite internet is widely available, it is very expensive for a user to implement. Your challenge is to design a low-cost method of delivering internet to people located far away on the ocean.

BuoyNet aims to offer internet connection everywhere on the globe inexpensively and efficiently

Italian presentation link

BuoyNet uses a network of self-positioning buoys with Long Range Wi-Fi which aim to build an efficient and dense network, covering the most common ship routes with high-speed internet connection and using a less dense network to provide an emergency internet access to the most remote areas of the planet.

The buoys are two-piece buoys, made up of a floating part and a sub part. The floating part holds the antenna to communicate with the nearby buoys, while the sub part is able to go down the sea at about 15m to "anchor" the buoy and, at the same time, is able to produce wave energy using the cable that keeps the floating part and the sub part together.

BuoysNet uses the NASA algorithm for Efficient Path Planning, Topex Poseidon data for wave measuring, uses the Disruption Tolerant Networking protocol for efficient data transmission.