Enthusiast Ricardo Rocca has created a system that allows not only the remote-control of a model boat, but also a two-way wireless data communication link between the two that's ideal for reporting various data and logging it for further analysis. In this example, Ricardo's model boat is controlled to travel over a pre-planned journey, and uses a digital compass and GPS to keep on the intended track - and returns sample data such as the depth of the water to the control PC. This enables charting into what is known as a "bathimetric map", a three-dimensional approximation of the surface beneath the water.
This type of project could be the framework for remote data gathering from not only a boat, but easily converted to make use of a remote-control car or perhaps even a quadcopter or home-made drone. There's quite an amount of possibility, so visit Ricardo's project page for the details and inspiration. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
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