Was $899 (v2.8 kit, 2015)In the OpenROV store, the v2.8 kit listed at $899 (sometimes discounted to $799) and the 2.8 Adventure Set at $1,435; earlier v2.6/2.7 kits also sold assembled

Discontinued · unavailableVia SSH / web / bridgeOpen-source hardwareKickstarterBeagleBone BlackDIY kit

UnavailableShipping: Unavailable. Kits were discontinued after OpenROV became Sofar Ocean in 2019; the design files remain open for self-builds.

Remote control: Browser-based Cockpit served from the ROV's BeagleBone over the tether; open code allows custom plugins.

Wikipedia ↗v2.8 kit (archive) ↗GitHub ↗

Overview

The open-source DIY submarine that kick-started low-cost ROVs. It was started by Eric Stackpole and David Lang, launched on Kickstarter in 2012 and built by a community of citizen explorers in over 30 countries. Kits taught soldering and potting as part of the build, and a web 'Cockpit' ran on the onboard BeagleBone Black. OpenROV later launched the ready-made Trident and merged with Spoondrift in 2019 to form Sofar Ocean; the kits are no longer sold.

Specifications

Category	Swimming robots · Developer & research ROVs/AUVs
Released	2012
Availability	Discontinued · unavailable
Programmability	Open source (hardware + software)
Best for	Ages 16+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	Camera
Actuators	Brushless / direct-drive motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Other ARM chip, Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Via SSH / web / bridge
Size	30 × 20 × 15 cm (L × W × H), 2.6 kg
Propulsion	Three brushless thrusters (2 horizontal, 1 vertical)
Depth rating	100 m recommended max (v2.8)
Tether / comms	Twisted-pair tether to a topside interface; laptop control (100 m tether sold separately)
Camera	HD webcam with tilt servo and LEDs, streamed live to the laptop
Sensors	Optional IMU / depth module
Runtime	2–3 h with standard batteries (3–5 h with high-capacity cells)
Speed	Up to 2 knots (about 1 m/s)
Compute	BeagleBone Black (Linux) + controller board
SDK	Open-source Node.js 'Cockpit' software and hardware files on GitHub