Research
A laboratory
that sails.
L'Hydronaute is an onboard research platform open to researchers, laboratories and institutions. On every voyage, the boat measures, collects and documents — the data produced is versioned and destined for publication as an open dataset.
We are looking for scientific partners to co-build the measurement programmes. Research missions are offered at a reduced rate.
Research programme
The HYDRO-RD-01 programme structures four axes of investigation, conducted simultaneously aboard the V1 demonstrator and on a small-scale autonomous mini-demonstrator.
- 01
Microplastics & water quality
L'Hydronaute carries a microplastic sampling and filtration system operating in real conditions on the Erdre. The collection protocol is aligned with reference work on continental sediments and Loire-basin river environments. Samples are accompanied by water-quality measurements (conductivity, temperature, turbidity) and biodiversity observations.
- 02
Assisted navigation & onboard intelligence
An autonomous mini-demonstrator (ASV), parallel to the V1 prototype, serves as the test bench for the assisted-navigation architecture. The ArduPilot/MAVLink software stack is developed and tested in a basin, then on the Erdre. Human navigation data collected through Trashure Island feeds a training corpus for future autonomous navigation policies via behavioural learning.
- 03
Hydrodynamics & energy architecture
The floating exoskeleton adds non-trivial hydrodynamic resistance to the float/host-hull pairing. Characterising and minimising that drag, sizing the solar-battery-propulsion energy chain under variable load, and validating the extrapolation method toward larger boats are the three open questions of this axis.
- 04
Reversible interface & retrofit method
How do you design an exoskeleton-to-hull connection that transmits propulsion loads with no permanent modification of the host boat? The goal is a documented method, transferable across several classes of river boats — from light launches to freight barges — with no heavy shipyard work or extended downtime.
Citizen science
Trashure
Island
A serious game for
behavioural machine training
Trashure Island is a 3D navigation game set in a steampunk river world. The player pilots a boat and collects as much plastic waste as possible in 3 minutes, while dodging AI opponents and managing their survival.
Beneath the playful surface sits a scientific layer: every game generates structured observation-action pairs documenting how a human makes navigation decisions — trajectory, avoidance, collection priority. These logs form the training corpus for future navigation policies tested on the autonomous mini-demonstrator (ASV), the test bench for the onboard architecture.
Game mechanics
- GoalCollect the most plastic before the clock runs out
- SurvivalHealth at zero = game over
- BoostTurbo Ram — triggers a charge
- ChargeFireball — hold, then release
- UpgradesModular exoskeleton selectable in game
Open dataset
Georeferenced samples, filtration results, weather and hydrological conditions at collection time.
Publication planned late 2026UTC-timestamped ArduPilot logs: position, speed, heading, power, energy state. CSV + binary format, Git-versioned.
Publication planned 2027Observation-action pairs from game sessions. Documented schema, JSON examples, methodology README.
Publication planned 2027Applications
Hydronaute is more than a boat: it is a field platform for developing, testing and documenting protocols replicable on other rivers, canals and coastal waters.
- Microplastics · sampling, filtration, counting and characterisation in river conditions
- Water quality · conductivity, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen
- Biodiversity · bank observation, acoustic monitoring, species presence
- Solar navigation · real-world range validation, energy profiles, use conditions
- River retrofit · modular exoskeleton transferable to other existing hulls
- Open data · versioned datasets, metadata, progressive publication
- Assisted observation · onboard vision and AI to annotate navigation sessions
- Education & citizen science · workshops, schools, local groups, Trashure Island game sessions
- Aquatic animal welfare · exploratory research track, to be co-built with partner laboratories
Propose a mission
L'Hydronaute is open to researchers, laboratories, PhD candidates and institutions wishing to run measurements or experiments in a river environment.
- Platform access at a reduced rate for research missions
- Onboard sensors available (energy, navigation, water quality)
- Collection protocol co-built with your team
- Data produced shared under an open licence
- Field: the Erdre, Natura 2000 zone, 15 km between Nantes and Sucé-sur-Erdre