We Go Scuba Diving!

VizBot
(or how a bunch of software engineers designed a robot as they were
bored driving to Monterey CA from San Francisco to go scuba diving at
4am every few weeks for the past few years)

Scuba is Very 1.0
• No GPS underwater
• Old people scared by technology
• Diving computers still rapidly evolving
• Underwater noise makers sound like ducks

This Sucks...
• Communication in low visibility
• Radios aren't even wireless
• People saying the \"viz was great\" or estimating
\"viz was 15 feet\"
(despite only seeing 20/100 with stick on plastic lenses in their masks)
http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/

Scuba != Social Networking
• No easy reviews of dive sites
• Web Rings are still immensely popular
(slightly more useful than pr0n rings)
• Outdated static information

Getting Timely Information
• Dive shops send someone to go drive the
coast checking conditions
• Unless it is incredibly good or bad, they
might make something up
• NOAA HAS CAPS-LOCK STUCK ON SO
LEARNING ABOUT THE WEATHER
CONDITIONS IS NOT THE EASIEST
THING IN THE WORLD TO DO

Hackin' is the
pursuit of laziness

Scuba 2.0
• Underwater navigation
HARD
HARDER • Underwater communication
• Realtime data about visibility and dive site
PLAUSABLE
conditions
• \"Fred\" would be out at thelike Tom and not the
more
PEOPLE
SUCK creepy dude that hangs beach where you here
stories about him trying to drown people

We Know...
• How to build massively scaleable websites
• How much SMS gateways blow
• Users will always complain
• That failing a real business model, Someone!
will buy us

So a Website...
• Wiki style for marking up dive sites
• Underwater maps
• Pictures
• Recent dive logs
• Weather
• Nearby food and dive shops

So a SNS...
• Social Networking Component
• Make Brad my dive buddy
• Share dive logs
• Share Frank's underwater photos
• \"Poke\" to go diving next weekend
• Dive clubs groups

So a Mashup...
• Realtime Data
• Weather.com
• Maps.Google.com
• Yelp.com
• NOAA.GOV
• 511.org

So a Dynamic Website...
• User generated data
(maybe we can sell our locked-in user base?)
• \"dig\" or \"drown\" a dive site
• \"dig\" or \"drown\" a dive shop
• Share your previous dive logs and
experiences
• Share weather and visibility information

But the VCs say it
has to be realtime!
Add a SMS component with a l33t shortcode!

So Scuba 2.0 with SMS
• \"conditions breakwater\"
• \"breakwater viz 20\"
• \"monestary cond rough\"
• \"butterfly house weather\"
• super secret commands

Though It is 6am...
• No current data
• At best a day old
• Worst a few days
• SMS is still complicated for many divers
• Robots should save us!

VizBot
• Floats around measuring sea conditions
• Drops cable with lasers to measure
visibility
• Lowjack capable for dodgy areas
• Has slightly less bandwidth than Justin.tv to
transmit results

VizBot
• Has to survive various ocean conditions
• Needs to re-charge itself (solar?)
• Can't scare wildlife or divers
• Should make friendly noises and have lights
• Can't be run over by boats!

VizBot + Website
• Realtime visibility and condition
information for the long tail
• Users could direct them or watch their
video cameras (VizBot.tv for the B-round)
• Useful research data

but we can't build robots
so hopefully one of you will!