MIT-designed self-driving Roboats make a splash in Amsterdam’s canals

2021-11-18T13:33:00-05:00

After six years of design and research at MIT, a pair of autonomous boats have been launched into the canals of Amsterdam. Roboat, a research project undertaken by the MIT Senseable City Lab and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute), seeks to encourage a future where autonomous boats could help the city of Amsterdam move part of its road traffic to the water.

Image © MIT / AMS Institute

From November onwards, the two full-scale prototypes will be used for three use cases: passenger transport, logistics (waste collection), and data collection (surveying water infrastructure and monitoring water quality). The boats will operate with complete autonomy through the use of way-point finding, autonomous docking and undocking, and collision avoidance.

Image © MIT / AMS Institute

“Picture being amid the hustle and bustle on the Amsterdam canals,” explains Ynse Deinema, Roboat Project Lead at AMS Institute. “This urban context involves tight space maneu...

Autonomous boats pave way for water cities of the future in Amsterdam

2020-01-09T17:39:00-05:00

The Advanced Metropolitan Solutions Institute of Amsterdam alongside MIT’s Senseable City Lab are ready to launch a full-scale model of what can be an essential infrastructure for water cities around the world.

According to Popup City, the two currently intended applications of the "Roboats" will be introduced in the city of Amsterdam. One will be a moving bridge system that will link the NEMO Science Museum to the historical Dutch Navy dock. The other will address the municipality's current garbage collections system, with the Roboats serving as "floating garbage containers," something the city believes will relieve the present challenges with disposal.

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MIT-designed self-driving Roboats make a splash in Amsterdam’s canals

Autonomous boats pave way for water cities of the future in Amsterdam