In September 2024, the mission for the focus project was set – transforming a prototype into a fully integrated swarm-ready system for performance art shows. This required hardware iterations and redesigns and a full software overhaul. The vessel was enhanced with model-based autonomy paving the way for advanced swarm capabilities.

The foundation for a swarm-ready prototype required hardware redesigns, electronics iterations and a full software overhaul. The vessel was enhanced with model-based autonomy paving the way for advanced swarm capabilities.

With 25 crafts working together, precision and creativity merge to bring an artistic vision to life. Every effect – synchronized lights, glowing water jets, and dynamic movement – was precisely engineered to create a seamless and captivating show.

For the product, a sleek, modern black design was selected. Developing a fully functional robotic swarm requires optimizing the robot’s capabilities and ensuring system-wide robustness. One of such key developments was the custom-built battery system enabling each robot to actively maintain precise position and orientation for 30+ hours.

In January 2025, the process of scaling up towards a fully coordinated fleet set into motion. In an industry-standard series manufacturing process, the focus project team at The Way of Water was supported by apprentices.

To carry out efficient testing and shows, the deployment  process was streamlined with a mobile storage and charging infrastructure. This reduced the setup time from arrival at the site to starting the show to 15 minutes.

Seamless performances demand high-precision swarm coordination, achieved through state-of-the-art model predictive control and advanced path planning algorithms. While dynamically avoiding obstacles, the swarm maintains an impressive positioning accuracy of 8 centimeters.