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VIDA 13.2 - FINISHED PROJECTS	

Fundación Telefónica announces the VIDA 13.2 Art & Artificial Life International Competition, which for the last twelve years has awarded prizes for artistic projects using technological mediums offering innovative approaches to research into artificial life.
In this category VIDA 13.2 will award prizes to artistic ALife projects developed after 2009. The sum of 40,000 Euros will be shared between the projects selected by the jury: First Prize: 18,000 Euros, Second Prize: 14,000 Euros, and Third Prize: 8,000 Euros. In addition seven honourable mentions will be awarded.
Queries may be addressed to the FAQs section of the website or by e-mail to vida@telefonica.es.

VIDA 13.2 - FINISHED PROJECTS
ENTRY FORM
Name (of applicant or group representative)
Cesar
Surname
Harada
Nationality
French - Japanese
ID or Passport number
06AY66456
If participants are a group, full names of all members (optional)
https://sites.google.com/a/opensailing.net/protei/people

Cesar Harada, Inventor, Project Coordinator, France / Japan
Piem Wirtz, V2_ Project Manager, NL.
Boris Debackere, V2_ Producer, NL.
Etienne Gernez, Academic Coordnator, DNV Norway.
Qiuyang Zhou, Head of Engineering, University of South Denmark.
Roberto Melendez, Ocean Engineering, MIT, USA / El Salvador
Logan Williams, Electric Engineer, MIT, USA
Gabriella Levine, Designer, technologist, ITP NYU, USA.
Sebastian Muellauer, Designer, prototype maker, Germany. 
Sebastian Neitsch, Interaction Designer, Germany. 
Henrik Rudstrom, Mechanical Engineer, TU Eindoven, Norway / NL
Jiskar Scmitz, Mechanical Engineer, TU Delft,  NL
Francois De La Taste, Oil technologies DNV intern , Paris Mines Tech, France
--
Sey Min, Data Analyst, randomwalks, Korea
Kasia Molga, Data Visualisation, UK / Poland
Bianca Chen Costanzo, Webdsign, Appl California, USA / Brazil / China
--
Aaron Guiterrez, Architect, Amorphica, Harvard, Mexico / USA
Julia Cerrud, Architect, Amorphica, Mexico / USA
Mario Saenz, Architect, Mexico / USA
Prof Gonzalo Tampier, Naval Architect,  Universidad Austral de Chile in the south of Chile.
Prof Zenon Chaczko, Biomimetic computational models, software design, wireless sensor actuator networks (WSAN), Poland / Australia
Philippe Noury, Qualification of New Technology, Composite Materials, DNV, France / Norway
--
Supervised by
Peter Keen, University of Southampton, New Zealand / UK
Prof Jennifer Gabrys, University of Goldsmiths, UK
Narito Harada, Lawyer, France. 
Address
4, rue pihet
City
Paris
Postal Code
75011
Country
Paris
Birth date
09/16/1983
Phone number
+33143380515
Email address
contact@protei.org
Web page address (optional)
http://protei.org
Curriculum Vitae
http://cesarharada.com/about/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/cesarharada

Phone numbers : 
NL : +31 6 86 20 28 38
USA : +1 617 230 0662
UK : +44 7 853 286 216
FR : +33 6 84 00 57 11
Short bio(max. 1250 chars.)
Protei team is a growing international community of engineers, ocean people, designers, architects, coders, craftsmen etc that are working together to build Protei, an unmanned, autonomous and articulated sailing robot. Protei would make measurements and clean up the oceans. Protei will have many applications from oil spill cleaning, to collecting plastic debris, to radioactivity sensing, to fishery monitoring, to physical oceanography for climate change studies and much more. Protei is developed Open Hardware. 

Cesar Harada [France / Japan] funder of Open_Sailing is the coordinator of the Protei team and of the International_Ocean_Station. Cesar was recently project leader and researcher at MIT, but he just moved to New Orleans to work on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Cesar is currently a TED Senior Fellow 2011, MPhil candidate at the Goldsmith University London, Design Environment department. Open_Sailing won the ARS Electronica Golden Nika [NEXT IDEA] grant, Adobe "Application Development" semi-finalist, "Sustainable Art Award" (BASH!) etc. Cesar has an MA from Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art London, another MA in Animation film from the ENSAD Paris, France. Chars left: 29
Project title
Protei
Project URL (optional)
protei.org
Conceptual project description(max. 3000 chars.)
Environmental disasters occur on an almost daily basis as a consequence of human behavior. Besides prevention of such disasters it is necessary to develop and test environmental cleaning technologies for when they occur. Many of our current environmental remediating technologies are however costly and inefficient. 
In April 2010, the explosion on BP's oil platform 'Deepwater Horizon' caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that became the most devastating environmental disaster in the history of the United States. Cesar Harada, MIT project leader at the time, observed that the cleaning process adopted to clean up the oil seemed very inefficient, especially because of it's limitation to human resources. Autonomously operating vessels could clean such oil spills much more efficient and safe, he thought. And thus the idea for Protei was born: an autonomous, unmanned sailing robot that tows a long oil sorbent boom. Not long after, Cesar Harada left Boston to move to New Orleans to work on a fleet of unmanned oil collecting sailing drones.  

Oil spilled at sea drifts downwind, following surface currents. Therefore, the most efficient way to collect oil spilled at sea is to sail upwind and capture the oil as it drifts downwind. By tacking, a sailing technique used to sail upwind, Protei uses the power of nature to collect a man-made problem, oil at sea. Protei is unmanned, which reduces the human health risk greatly and allows it to operate continuously at a relatively low cost. Protei vessels are hurricane-proof, self-righting, unbreakable, inexpensive and easy to manufacture for immediate deployment, even in rough weather and far from the shore. All over the world oil and other pollutants are spilled in our waters constantly. Every spill's context is however different from the next. Acknowledging this, Protei vessels are adjustable to local condition due to the project's Open Hardware philosophy. All components as well as the overall design are made open source, which means that Protei can be reproduced and modified by anyone for free. Therefore, the potential of Protei goes far beyond cleaning oil spills: the tail can be used for anything ranging from water sampling to fresh water shipment and radioactivity sensing. 

Producing Protei was a challenge too big for Harada alone, which is why he began to share his ideas through social media platforms. In response, hundreds of people donated money to the project through kickstarter.com and a community of organizations and people from all over the world formed around the project. This community is currently making Protei a reality.   Chars left: 376
Project summary(max. 750 chars.)
Protei is a fleet of autonomous oil spill collection vessels. Each Protei vessel consists of a sailing propulsion head and a long oil absorbing tail. An oil spill drifts downwind, Protei sails upwind to capture oil in the successive folds of its long tail.
Protei vessels are equipped with a conventional oil-absorbing boom. This boom can take up to 25 times its own mass in oil and can be reused. A Protei fleet can reach far remote places and can operate in storms and difficult waters due to the vessels' flexible, self-righting and collision safe design. This design is inexpensive and distributed as Open Hardware, so anyone can contribute, use, and modify it to improve environmental cleaning when and where environmental disasters occur. Chars left: 376
Physical project description
Protei uses existing technologies in an innovative design that is inexpensive and can be implemented and reproduced fast when and where environmental disasters occur. The design of Protei is hurricane-proof, self-righting, unbreakable and easy to manufacture for immediate response. 

Making use of an articulated body, Protei offers controlled steering, even when pulling a heavy load. Instead of having a single rudder at the back, the entire vessel acts as a rudder and curves in an organic shape. This technique allows for sharp turns and has the major advantage that it can catch the wind from both sides when tacking (sailing upwind). The animal-inspired articulated hull is a concept that may change the physics of sailing forever. 
General technical description(max. 500 chars.)
Protei looks like an organically shaped torpedo with a strange sail. The articulated hull curves in an animal-like motion making us forget the materials it is made of. 
The skin is made of black neoprene reinforced with rubber. The skeleton is made of thin PVC tubes within which thin steel cables are actuating the shape of the vessel. The floatation is polystyrene. Batteries, motors and most of the electronics (arduino-based) are in the keel underwater. All hard and software are Open Source.  Chars left: 3
Description of visitor/user experience(max. 500 chars.)
Protei is not only about the technology but also about building communities around critical environmental problems. This message will be illustrated in an exhibition of all research prototypes (past versions) that were built for testing purposes, including documentation of the group process and the lessons learned after each test.
So the visitors will enjoy several prototypes, the manual, videos, the website, drawings, documentation of the process. 
Chars left: 46
Project extended description(max. 2500 chars.)
Please visit : http://protei.org
Also see our updates here : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarminoru/protei-open-hardware-oil-spill-cleaning-sailing-ro/posts
 
Chars left: 2332
Technical requirements
Prototype (40KG) suspended from ceiling. 
Supporting construction for full-scale Protei_006 (3m long, 6m high)
Projection setup for documentary.
A table for our manual and printed documentation. 
Project execution date
September 2nd 2011
Video transcript
Protei, the Open Hardware oil spill cleaning sailing robot 

The worst environmental catastrophe in US history just happened here, in the Gulf of Mexico. But there are Oil spills all around, all the time.

To clean the BP DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill, they used all sorts of expensive technologies, but all together only 3% of the oil was skimmed from the surface, exposing the health of cleaners. We think we can do better, cheaper. Conventional oil skimmers basically trace clean paths in a sea of oil. Oil moves downwind following surface current, so the best way to capture it is to move upwind. One layer of oil absorbing material is ok, but consecutive layers collect more oil. 

Protei uses the wind to power an unmanned sailing robot that pulls a long oil absorbing boom tail sailing upwind autonomously, without exposing the health of human beings on board. A normal sail boat looses steering and pulling power when it pulls a long heavy load, so what we tried is to simply put the steering at the front. We hacked a little remote controlled boat, and it worked! We had great control and speed, and using a very little rudder at the front we were able to steer a very long and heavy tail at the back.  
The problem is when you go upwind, every time you turn, you face the wind for a moment. When you face the wind, you no longer have pulling power, so you loose control. We made an articulated sail boat, protei 2, flexible: it moves like an animal! When it tacks upwind, it is able to catch wind from both sides. That means it never looses pulling power and can pull a long heavy tail. Protei may be the first sail boat in history that can do this, inaugurating an entirely new family in ocean robotics. 

Now, we want to build Protei cheap and make it very powerful and safe. So we made a large inflatable version, Protei 3. Because it is very light and it has a very small footprint in the water while having a large sail surface it has a great pulling power. We made a version packed with electronics and sensors on board that would avoid collision, sense wind direction and power. The next step is to build at full scale to test Protei in real conditions. We are working together on the design and engineering of a green revolutionary technology. Work with us! 

So far, the Protei team has built and tested 5 prototypes, getting better each time. Protei is being developed Open Hardware, so anyone can use, modify and distribute our technology for free. Oil spills are happening all the time everywhere in the world. In many places people don't have the technology to address oil spills yet. We need a technology that people can adapt to their needs and resources. Protei is being developed collaboratively to be inexpensive and easy to manufacture from well established efficient techniques.

If we have many Protei, a fleet of Protei could work automatically as a swarm, or be remotely controlled by on-line gamers. Beyond Oil Spills, Protei would be suitable for collecting plastic debris in the ocean and many other ocean research applications. We are confident this Open Hardware technology will contribute to ocean study and cleaning. 

Please, help us build our next Protei prototypes!

Visit protei.org to learn more. 
Documentation (optional)
I tried uploading our video but it failed multiple times.
my internet connexion is deadly slow  here... Sorry. 
Please watch it online here : http://www.vimeo.com/20434995

2011 08 07 Picture of Protei (in Progress Protei_006 prototype) :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/6018698266/in/photostream

Article in the Canoe review (Canada) : 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/5595815725/

Article in the New Scientist (USA) : 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/5795216430/

Rotterdam team picture : 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/5984218860/in/photostream/

Pictures or other attachments (max. 5 files)

Video files (max. 1)

x protei-kickstarter.mov
Fisical structure description(max. 400 chars.)
Prototype : 
6 meters high
3 meters long propulsion head
25 meters tail (optional for display)

Documentation : 
Films : screen / projections
Website : one computer
Manual : table 
Blueprint : large technical drawings
Chars left: 182

The project has joint intellectual property rights and/or collaborators
Briefly describe the other creators or collaborators
Protei is developed under Open_Hardware licensing (http://freedomdefined.org/OSHW) and has an extensive community of collaborators all over the world.
https://sites.google.com/a/opensailing.net/protei/people  Chars left: 292
Briefly describe the collaboration process
Collaboration process and distribution of roles at the end of this video (at 4:33).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aib5WFqH0gg Chars left: 374

The project was carried out at a research laboratory or production centre
Describe this relationship
The first full-scale prototype (version 006) is produced at V2_ Institute for the Unstable Media, in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), summer 2011. 
Chars left: 356

The project has received production grants, sponsorship or financial aid
Describe the financial aid or resource
Protei has been generously funded by over 300 backers on Kickstarter.com, a crowd sourcing website, and has been produced as part of V2_'s artist-in-residence program.  Chars left: 332

The project includes mechanical or electromechanical systems
Indicate whether these are commercial or customised
They are all Open hardware. Arduino, Ardupilot. A lot of custom mechanics and consumer electronic hacks (sensors, switches, mechanical parts...). Chars left: 355

The project includes electronic systems, sensors and/or networks
Indicate whether these are commercial or customised
Mostly custom-made parts from raw materials. 
Some parts are made from modified consumer products and recycled materials.  Chars left: 378

The project includes software environments
Indicate whether these are commercial or customised
Proce55ing + custom codes. Wireless communication with Xbee. Data visualisation as multiple java applets using google maps API and map tiles.    Chars left: 356

The project includes biological materials
Indicate whether these are commercial or customised
Protei's design is inspired by nature and uses bio-mimicry in its articulated design. The word 'Protei' is derived from Proteus Anguinus, the scientific name for an olm. An olm is a long white salamander that lives in complete darkness. It is blind but has an acutely developed sense of smell and hearing. Protei is develop primarily as a platform on which various sensors can be fitted to sense the environment. 

Protei moves like an animal : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr8OGrjVS48 Chars left: 13

The project includes performances and/or choreographies
Keywords
Protei, oil spill, sorbent, bio-mimicry, open source, open hardware, crowd sourcing, environment, pollution, solution, art science, unsinkable, articulated, self-righting, self-powered, remotely controlled, upwind sailing, collision safe, sensor controlled, green, affordable, sustainable 
How did you hear about this call?
Alex Adriaansens, director of V2_ 

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