Autonomous Boat Project

An autonomous boat system built with Python and running on a Raspberry Pi.

Project Overview

This project aims to develop an autonomous boat capable of navigating waterways independently using a Raspberry Pi as the main controller. The boat will use various sensors for navigation, obstacle avoidance, and data collection.

Project Structure

The project is organized into the following components:

piboat/
├── __init__.py         # Package init
├── config.py           # Configuration settings
├── main.py             # Entry point
├── device/             # Device-related components
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── device.py       # Main BoatDevice class
│   ├── telemetry.py    # Telemetry generation
│   └── commands.py     # Command handling
├── webrtc/             # WebRTC-related components
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── video.py        # Video streaming
│   └── webrtc_handler.py # WebRTC connection management
└── utils/              # Utility functions
    ├── __init__.py
    └── logging_setup.py # Logging configuration

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi (3B+ or 4 recommended)
• Motor controller
• Propulsion system (motors, propellers)
• Power supply (batteries)
• Sensors (GPS, compass, ultrasonic, etc.)
• Waterproof enclosure

Software Dependencies

• Python 3.7+
• Required Python libraries (see requirements.txt):
  • websockets
  • aiortc
  • aiohttp
  • opencv-python
  • numpy

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd PiBoat
   

2. Set up a virtual environment (recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Running the Boat Device

To run the autonomous boat control system:

1. Make sure you have all dependencies installed

2. Run the boat device:

   ./run_boat_device.py
   

   Or alternatively:

   python run_boat_device.py
   

Configuration

You can configure the boat device by setting environment variables:

• WS_SERVER_URL: The WebSocket server URL (default: ws://192.168.1.227:8000/ws/device/{device_id})
• DEVICE_ID: The device ID to use (default: boat-1)
• TELEMETRY_INTERVAL: How often to send telemetry data in seconds (default: 1.0)
• MAX_RUDDER_ANGLE: Maximum physical rudder angle in degrees (default: 45.0)
  • This sets the maximum physical angle the rudder can move in each direction
  • For example, if set to 45, then a normalized command of -100 will move the rudder to -45 degrees, and a normalized command of 50 will move the rudder to 22.5 degrees

Example:

DEVICE_ID=my-test-boat MAX_RUDDER_ANGLE=60 ./run_boat_device.py

Usage

Usage instructions will be provided once the project reaches a functional state.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.