Squirm Tech offers the Maker Boat series, modular open‑hardware autonomous surface vehicle kits that integrate off‑the‑shelf Pixhawk controllers and ROS‑compatible firmware. The kits provide plug‑and‑play sensor mounts, 3‑D printable hulls, and Python tools for real‑time bathymetry and data processing, enabling universities, survey firms, and developers to deploy custom marine monitoring missions at low cost.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Researchers, survey teams, and hobbyists often lack affordable, customizable autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) for marine data collection, because commercial options are expensive, closed‑source, and difficult to adapt to specific sensor payloads or mission profiles. This limits the ability to conduct high‑resolution bathymetry, water‑quality monitoring, or autonomous sampling in coastal and offshore environments.
Solution
Squirm Tech delivers the Maker Boat series—modular ASV platforms that combine an open‑hardware hull with off‑the‑shelf autopilot components such as Pixhawk. The design emphasizes plug‑and‑play sensor integration, allowing users to assemble a functional surface robot from a kit and launch it with minimal engineering effort. Comprehensive build documentation, firmware presets, and Python‑based data‑visualization scripts streamline mission planning, execution, and post‑processing. By providing a low‑cost, extensible foundation, Squirm Tech enables customers to prototype, iterate, and scale marine robotics projects without proprietary lock‑in. Ongoing technical support and community resources further reduce deployment risk and accelerate data acquisition cycles.
Target Audience
Primary customers are university marine science labs, coastal surveying firms, and independent developers building custom ASV solutions for environmental monitoring.
Features
- Modular hull and buoyancy system that can be 3‑D printed or CNC‑machined, supporting payloads up to 15 kg
- Integrated Pixhawk flight controller with pre‑configured rover parameters for surface navigation
- ROS‑compatible firmware and QGroundControl interface for waypoint planning and telemetry
- Standardized sensor mounts and waterproof connectors for hydrophones, multispectral cameras, and CTD probes
- Open‑source Python toolbox for real‑time bathymetry processing and georeferenced map generation
- Detailed bill‑of‑materials, wiring diagrams, and step‑by‑step assembly guides hosted on the website
- Optional remote diagnostics and firmware update service via secure OTA (over‑the‑air) links
- Community forum and Slack channel for peer support, code sharing, and mission case studies