Mission
Build a reliable autonomous boat platform and score enough points to qualify Black Pearl for an official RoboBoat competition run.
Benedict College Robotics • RoboBoat 2026
B Sea Bots: Black Pearl
The B Sea Bots are Benedict College Robotics’ RoboBoat team, building and testing Black Pearl — an autonomous surface vessel designed for reliability, documentation, simulation, and competition readiness.
Blue Robotics BlueBoat Platform
First-Year RoboBoat Team
Autonomy + Sensors
Testing + Simulation
Project Overview
Black Pearl is built on the Blue Robotics BlueBoat uncrewed surface vessel platform. The team selected this platform for its open architecture, autonomy tooling, and practical documentation resources.
Engineering Focus
Prioritize safety, repeatable testing, clear documentation, and practical field-readiness for each phase of the build.
Competition Readiness
Use water testing, simulation, and documented improvements to prepare the boat, team, and support process for RoboBoat 2026.
Meet the B Sea Bots
This first-year team is focused on reliability, documentation, safety, simulation, and continuous learning.
Kaleab Alemu
Team Lead • Primary Tester
Coordinates testing plans, tracks readiness milestones, and oversees on-water validation.
Hikeem Wilson
Programmer
Implements autonomy behaviors, supports simulation training, and helps integrate sensors.
Trey Hanna
Builder
Mechanical assembly, payload mounting, and hardware layout for reliability and serviceability.
Mark Wells
Builder
Supports construction, waterproofing checks, wiring organization, and field-repair readiness.
Donald Williams
Outreach
Documents the journey, supports recruiting and sponsor outreach, and promotes STEM engagement.
Byron McKinnon
Safety
Leads safety checklists, risk reviews, battery handling procedures, and test-day briefing.
Faculty & Mentor
Carlton McAdams
Faculty Advisor
Provides program oversight, logistics support, and guidance on engineering documentation and safety.
Josuah Taylor
Mentor
Provides technical mentoring, troubleshooting support, and review of autonomy and testing plans.
Black Pearl: Platform Specifications
Black Pearl uses the Blue Robotics BlueBoat USV platform with ArduRover and BlueOS support for control, mission planning, testing, and autonomous development.
Dimensions, deployed120 × 93 × 46 cm / 47 × 36.5 × 18 in
Weight, no batteries or payload14.5 kg / 32 lb
Payload capacity15 kg / 33 lb, including batteries and payload
Endurance18 hours with 2 batteries, up to 62 hours with 8 batteries, no payload at approximately 1 m/s
Max speed3 m/s / 6 knots with 2 batteries and no payload
Control & mission planningArduRover + BlueOS; Mission Planner / QGroundControl
Autonomy & Sensors
The team is developing a practical autonomy workflow using sensors, simulation, and structured testing to validate the boat before competition.
Navigation Sensors
The team currently uses side-scan sensors for navigation and situational awareness.
Camera Integration
The team plans to mount and use a camera prior to shipping the boat to the competition site.
Simulation Workflow
Blue Robotics software is used for testing and simulation to validate behaviors before water trials.
Testing & Timeline
The team tracks milestones and testing sessions to reproduce results, show continuous progress, and support judge review and future team knowledge transfer.
September 2Build started.
October 28Water testing began.
October 28 – November 20Water testing held Tuesdays and Thursdays.
January 20Simulation training began and continues Tuesdays and Thursdays.
February 5Water testing resumes.
February 26RoboBoat competition day.
Testing Log Template
Date: YYYY-MM-DD, Tuesday or Thursday
Location: Pond, lake, or pool • Weather: Optional
Goal: What the team tried to prove
Changes since last test: Hardware, software, or configuration changes
Procedure: Launch, run, recover, and evaluation steps
Results: What happened and measured performance
Issues: Failures and suspected causes
Next steps: What will change next test
Media
Use this section to showcase photos, videos, build updates, testing clips, sponsor highlights, and student progress throughout the RoboBoat journey.
Photo Gallery
Add team photos, build progress images, and water testing photos here.
Video Updates
Add testing clips, simulation walkthroughs, interviews, and competition preparation videos here.
Press & Announcements
Add news stories, campus updates, social posts, and sponsor announcements here.
Sponsors & Contact
Sponsors help cover travel, parts, safety equipment, testing resources, shipping, tools, and outreach materials for the B Sea Bots RoboBoat team.
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Platinum Sponsor
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Gold Sponsor
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Silver Sponsor
How Sponsors Help
Core Needs
Parts and spares, sensors, waterproofing supplies, safety gear, batteries, and transport cases.
Competition Readiness
Travel support, shipping costs, and tools for on-site repairs and diagnostics.
Contact
Faculty Advisor
Carlton McAdams
Email: [email protected]
Optional: Add a dedicated team email for continuity across years.
Outreach
Donald Williams
Add outreach contact email and social links here for school visits, demos, and sponsor conversations.
Competition Resources
Helpful resource links can be added for RoboBoat guidance, BlueBoat documentation, wiring diagrams, payload layout images, and team operation guides.