Buoy-Network

The Concept

A distributed network of high-resolution, accelerometer-equipped, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), self-navigating buoys to identify stealth Navy vessels using their unique wake fingerprints.

Hackathon Origins

I developed the winning concept with Owen Webb and Jake Lang at the NYC Defense Tech Hackathon organized by Entrepreneur First. We took 1st place before judges including the CTO of Saronic, Palantirians, Anduril alumni, and VCs from 8VC and Caffeinated Capital. One of the organizers, who also judged, has since gone on to a16z and then OpenAI.

Proof of Concept

After the hackathon, I recruited Owen Webb, Tyler Bershad, Spencer Hurst, and Jordan Bowman-Davis to determine whether the winning idea should become a real business. We built a Bluetooth-connected accelerometer buoy and tested it in a pool with RC boats. The proof of concept successfully distinguished the boats from their accelerometer data alone, demonstrating that vessels can produce measurable wake signatures at pool scale.

Expert Consultation

With a successful proof of concept in hand, I consulted theoretical physicist Yuri Lensky and Elliot Richards about the underlying physics and feasibility at ocean scale.

Why I Did Not Pursue It

The prototype worked, but the follow-up physics analysis indicated that the wake signal would deteriorate too quickly in ocean noise to be detected at the distances required for military applications. The successful pool test did not translate into a viable ocean-scale system, so I decided not to pursue the venture.

Interesting Followup

The Chinese Navy later demonstrated ship detection using satellite imagery of wakes, validating the core concept that wakes are detectable, but proving that a different approach (optical from above rather than mechanical from sea level) is required.