Autonomous Urban Water Waste Collector

I want to turn my concept for an urban-water clean-up robot into a tangible, working system that can patrol canals or reservoirs and scoop up whatever floats in its way. The robot must run on autonomous, pre-defined routes—think of it moving along waypoints I upload rather than being steered in real time—so reliable path-following logic is crucial. Because the debris in these waterways is rarely sorted, the collection mechanism has to cope with mixed waste: plastics, leaves, stray packaging, even the occasional food scrap.

Here’s what I need from you: a complete solution that covers the mechanical layout, sensor suite, navigation electronics, and the software that ties everything together. I’m open on the exact hardware platform (ROS, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Jetson, etc.) as long as it’s well-supported and won’t lock us into exotic parts. The final hand-off should include 3D models or detailed machining drawings for the hull and conveyor/scoop system, a bill of materials with suppliers, and fully commented code that I can flash, test, and iterate on.

To confirm we’re on track, I’ll test the prototype in a 200 m stretch of canal; if it can complete one full programmed loop without manual intervention, collect visible debris, and dock safely, I’ll consider the milestone met. Later enhancements—AI obstacle avoidance, solar charging, remote telemetry—can follow, but for now the focus is an autonomous, route-based, mixed-waste collector that simply works.