Update: Underwater Lighting System in Progress
Omer Larrañaga Technology
At Ocean Builders, we’ve developed an advanced underwater lighting system for the SeaPod that not only enhances the underwater experience but also ensures durability, efficiency, and ease of use.Here’s a closer look at how our innovative lighting system works and what makes it stand out.Seamless Control & Smart AutomationOur underwater lighting system is designed for […]
Update: Progress on Rainwater Filtration System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Our mission has always been to innovate and create sustainable solutions that allow people to live harmoniously with nature. One of our key developments in this mission is our Rainwater Filtration System, which takes a vital resource — rainwater — and transforms it into clean, drinkable water using cutting-edge technology.Here’s an update on our progress […]
Progress Update: Escape Hatch for the Underwater Room
Omer Larrañaga Construction
We’re excited to share a progress update on an innovative feature we’ve been working on for the SeaPod: the underwater hatch! Originally, we planned to install it in December, allowing Rudy to step outside his underwater room for a swim.However, given the complexity of the project and the critical nature of the Guinness World Record […]
Automated Delivery Drone Update for SeaPod Living
Omer Larrañaga Technology
At Ocean Builders, we’re constantly improving our technologies to make SeaPod living as efficient and futuristic as possible. Following our previous blog on drone delivery for food, we’re excited to share updates on the latest enhancements to our drone system. These updates ensure greater reliability and safety, making drone delivery more practical and secure. Key […]
Customised LED controllers for SeaPods
Omer Larrañaga Construction Technology
At Ocean Builders, we’ve taken on the challenge of developing our own LED controllers, and here’s why.The existing options on the market simply don’t meet our specific needs.From the ground up, SeaPods are built with marine-grade components that are not only durable but also integrate seamlessly into our cutting-edge home automation system. The LED controllers […]
Advanced Anti-Rust Protection
Omer Larrañaga Technology
When it comes to protecting the superstructure of the SeaPod, ensuring the longevity and stability of the materials used is crucial.Enter Impressed Current Cathodic Protection, a cutting-edge solution designed to safeguard metal structures from the relentless threat of corrosion.In this post, we’ll take a closer look at this system, specifically the latest version, which has […]
Infrared Gesture AI
Omer Larrañaga Software Technology
We are back with Omer for an updated look at the progress that he has been making on our Gesture AI technology. Gesture AI allows you to control different things in your home by simply waving your hand or making certain gestures that the system will recognize.This sounds crazy, but the video below will help […]
Embedded NFC Demo
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Ocean Builders “Nerd Team” played with a new toy to make life even more convenient in the Pods: embedded FSC technology. We love it, and so will you!Many of you are familiar with Near Field Communication (NFC), a popular wireless technology used for mobile payment systems. By allowing users to pay for items simply by […]
Development work on future emergency wristwatch for the Lifeguard Drone
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Development work on future emergency wristwatch for the Lifeguard DroneLiving on water is a dream of many, and it is surely one we want to share with you! However, this isn’t without risk, so we came up with a series of innovations for the Pods guests safety: the emergency wristwatch is one of them. This […]
Main Door v2
Omer Larrañaga Construction
Omer is back at the manufacturing facility to check out the progress on version 2 of the main door. So far, this updated version is looking great and should solve the issues that we had with the first iteration.To start, the door is more rigid. The previous door had a lot of noise because the […]
Skylight Controller
Omer Larrañaga Software Technology
By now, you understand that Ocean Builders’ seapods follow a very important motto: design and practicality, all of which coupled with topnotch technology. This is with that mindset that the rooftop’ stunning skylight will be automated. The sunroof design has been a core part of the Pods engineering because we wanted to offer every guest […]
9 Axis Pod Movement Detection
Omer Larrañaga Technology
A normal home on land is generally securely built into the ground and won’t move, but that is not the case with a floating home on the water. Keeping the SeaPod stable is important for both comfort and safety so we have decided to use IMU sensors to help monitor the tilt, angular rate, and […]
Incinerator v2
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We are very passionate about the environment and building floating homes that are eco-restorative. One of the challenges of building a home at sea is figuring out what to do with the sewage. The easy thing would be just dumping it into the ocean, but that is absolutely not an option for us and we […]
Underwater Window Frame Completed
Omer Larrañaga Construction
The production of the first underwater window frame(link underwater window frame in production) has been completed. Omer is at the production facility to give us a quick overview of the three pieces.The frame was made into three pieces so that it could be bolted from both the interior and the exterior. An underwater room will […]
Underwater Window Frame near completion
Omer Larrañaga Construction
We are excited to share that the window frame for the underwater room is nearing completion. This window will offer a 1-meter wide view from the underwater room out into the beautiful sea.The frame itself is made of steel and took about two and a half years to get from the first design to the […]
Production Controllers
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Our homes have so much technology and automation packed into them and each aspect needs an electronic controller to communicate between the software and the hardware. Many of the things that we are developing for the Pods have never been done before, so that required us to design, prototype, and produce our own controllers.These controllers […]
Quad Bilge Pump System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of the most important safety features on boats and floating structures is the bilge pump. The bilge pump works by pumping water that is inside of the structure and putting it back into the ocean. While we can build our structures to be as watertight as possible, we still need to have bilge pumps […]
Delivery Drone 11 – New Precision Landing System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Omer wanted to give us a quick visual demonstration of how the new infrared precision landing system for the delivery drone will work. This system uses an infrared beacon that emits a certain pattern of light that the receiver on the drone will look for and then lock on to.The beacon will be continuously emitting […]
Smart Shower Activation to custom settings with NFC device
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We want to make those small and annoying tasks that have become normal parts of our lives a thing of the past. When designing our shower, we wanted to take it to the next level. Not only is this smart shower completely customizable, but it will also remember your preferred settings and automatically apply them […]
Multiroom audio
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The Ocean Builders homes will have multiroom audio capabilities that will allow you to easily play and control the speakers in your home from our home assistant app. This system will allow you to play your music, radio, or podcast and listen to it throughout the home, or adjust the volume in certain rooms as […]
Pod Watercraft and People Lifting Mechanism
Omer Larrañaga Technology
This was an idea that we had for lifting small watercraft like a jet ski, paddleboard, kayak, or a small boat from the water level up to the level of the Pod. In addition to watercraft, it could be also used to lift people from the water to the Pod.This could have several uses like […]
Delivery Drone 8 – Precision Landing System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
This is a quick demonstration to show how the precision landing system for our delivery drones will be able to find and then track the landing pad to land and drop the delivery exactly where it needs to go.We don’t have mailing addresses in the ocean so the drone uses GPS coordinates to navigate to […]
Door Nearing Completion
Omer Larrañaga Construction
The first prototype “front” door of the SeaPod is nearing completion. This is the main door that will be installed on the center spar and will lead to the spiral staircase that will take you up the spar and into the Pod home.This door was a big challenge, but we are finally seeing the light […]
Delivery Drone 7 – New Cargo Release Mechanism
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We have been building a custom delivery drone that will be able to bring deliveries of things like food, packages, medicine, and anything else that you might need or want to be delivered to your Pod. The drone will stay at its home base where it will be loaded with the delivery and then autonomously […]
Delivery Drone Build – 5 – Package Testing
Omer Larrañaga Technology
So we know that the delivery drone will fly, but it needs to be able to carry and deliver packages to the destination. To make that happen, we are using an electromagnet that will secure the payload during flight. Electromagnets work by using electricity to magnetize themselves and can turn off the magnetization by turning […]
Delivery Drone Build – 4 – Live View & Software Integration with Delivery Control Center
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a demonstration from Omer to show what the live view camera can see and also the “control center” for the custom-built delivery drone. This system is designed to fly autonomously and land and takeoff from the SeaPod or EcoPod home. To do this, the drone has to be able to see where […]
Delivery Drone Build – 3 – First engine run & indoor flight testing
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a quick video showing the first time that we fired up the motors on the drone and also the first indoor hover test for our custom-built delivery drone. After we got everything assembled and wired up, the next step is to turn it on and make sure that everything works and so […]
Delivery Drone Build (part 2) – Custom 3D printed parts, lidar distance sensors, installing motors, electronics, propellers
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here are some progress pictures of the construction of our custom-built delivery drone. We started with the main airframe and now we are moving into getting everything assembled and wired together. We are utilizing our 3D printing technology to make our own custom parts for the drone so that they fit the exact specifications that […]
Delivery Drone Build (part 1) – Construction Started
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of our goals for the SeaPod, EcoPod, and GreenPod was to have a system in place where we can make deliveries to and from the home in a quick, safe, and convenient manner. We determined that the best way to make that happen was with an aerial delivery drone that can fly from a […]
SeaPod Air Conditioning
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The SeaPods and EcoPods will be deployed primarily in warm, humid climates like you will find here in Linton Bay, Panama where our factory is. In order to combat the heat from the sun and keep things comfortable inside the home, we wanted to have an air conditioning system that could handle the climate control […]
Drinkable Water System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The drinkable water system in the SeaPod is a complex system where the water goes through several steps. One of the biggest problems with desalination through reverse osmosis is that it strips the water of all of the minerals and leaves you with what is called “technical water” that doesn’t have the minerals that the […]
Marine Grade Electronics
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of the biggest challenges in building a home near or in the ocean is that the environment is very harsh for metals and electronics. When you add that with the fact that we are building a smart home that has considerably more electronics than a standard home, you can see that preventing corrosion is […]
Making Custom PC board
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Most of the custom PCB boards that we are using all throughout the Ocean Builders Pod homes are designed and made by us. Since these boards have very specific jobs, we found that the best option was to design and create our own boards.Omer is here with a quick video to show an example of […]
Custom Circuit Boards
Omer Larrañaga Technology
In the process of developing the Ocean Builders homes, we are doing things that have never been done before and building technology that has never been used before. When you are doing something totally new, you often have to create what you need since there are typically no options sitting on the shelf at the […]
Smart Tablet Design
Omer Larrañaga Technology
All of the Ocean Builders homes will be fully-equipped smart homes so we wanted to have a functional yet aesthetically pleasing way to control everything no matter where you are in your home. While you will be able to access the home automation app from your smartphone, these tablets will be mounted in different parts […]
EcoPod Engineering Room Layout
Omer Larrañaga Design
We are back with our Omer for an overview of the layout of the engineering room in the basement of the EcoPod. Omer designed this layout to fit all of the equipment that we will need to run the EcoPod. The ceiling in this basement is only 1.1 meters tall so everything had to be […]
Detailed Plans for EcoPod Layout for the Engineering Team
Omer Larrañaga Design
Here we have Grant giving us a pretty cool inside-look at something that hasn’t been shown to the public yet – the engineering CAD drawings and schematics for the EcoPod that our engineering team uses. This computer program allows us to look at each individual piece and move or hide them so that we can […]
Front Door Automation
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Keeping with the theme of automating the simple tasks in the SeaPod, the front door will be able to easily be locked and unlocked through the SeaPod home automation app. We want coming home to be simple and easy so we made a system that will allow you to unlock your front door with the […]
Shower Controller
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a CAD drawing showing the enclosure for the shower controller and the custom PCB board that will be used within it. The shower controller acts as the brain of the smart shower system and reads and relays information between the sensors, the home automation app which will run on a tablet in […]
Salt Water Tank Updates
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The SeaPod has a smart desalination system that will take saltwater from the sea and turn it into usable freshwater for the home. This system will operate with a holding tank for saltwater in the engineering room and Omer is here to give a demo of how everything will work.The saltwater tank will be where […]
Poop Test
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Omer is back to give us a live demonstration of how the poop separator, the incinerator, and the heat exchanger will work together to safely burn all of the solid waste from the toilet and capture the heat that is generated during the process. This will allow the SeaPod to safely and responsibly dispose of […]
First Look at Gesture AI
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a quick demonstration of the gesture AI that we will have as an option in the Ocean Builders homes. Gesture AI will use artificial intelligence to recognize simple gestures that will be used to control different actions within the home. This technology can be used for simple things around the house like […]
Bed Presence Detector
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of the biggest challenges with the SeaPod is the energy capacity. The SeaPod will not be connected to the municipal power grid so any electricity that is needed to power the home will need to be generated by the home. Because of this, electricity is a very precious resource that we don’t want to […]
Kitchen Sink Controller
Omer Larrañaga Technology
To fit the minimalistic look that we want to achieve in the SeaPod, we are going with a kitchen sink design that utilizes capacitive touch instead of the traditional knobs or handles that you will find in most homes. This presented a few different challenges that we had to overcome but luckily for us, Omer […]
Wifi Switch for a low EMF Home
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of the byproducts of having a smart home with so many wireless devices is the presence of Electro-Magnetic Fields, better known as EMFs. Although you can’t see EMFs with your eyes, they practically surround us in the modern world and we wanted to have a way to limit your exposure while living in the […]
Bathroom Sink Automation
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We want everything in the SeaPod to work as seamlessly and automatically as possible while also delivering a sleek and minimalistic appearance throughout the home. So when it came to the bathroom sink, it simply made sense to have it be automatic. While the idea was simple, making it happen was a bit more complicated.This […]
Measuring water level in tanks
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Since the SeaPod won’t be supplied by city water or a well like most houses are, we have to store water onboard since our water supply is limited. Things like the shower or the sinks will be supplied with fresh water that is stored in large holding tanks.These tanks will act as a reserve so […]
Incinerator Controller
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We are back with Omer to give an overview of how the incinerator and the heat exchanger will work together to dispose of the waste and generate hot water at the same time. This demo is a mockup to show how the different pieces of the system will operate. Usually, this process will happen when […]
Incinerator Toilet System Nearing Final Assembly
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have the first working prototype of the incinerator system that will be used in the SeaPod incinerator toilet. This prototype is essentially an R&D version that will be used to test the different processes that are involved in the system.This prototype was built at the manufacturing facility that we are partnering with and […]
Special LED lighting
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have Omer giving us a demonstration of the LED light strips that we will be using in the SeaPod and the app that will control them. The entire lighting system required a ton of research and testing, but we have found an option that will work perfectly for us.Omer has two different LED light […]
Smart Bilge Pump Integration Complete
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We are back with Omer for a demo of our smart bilge pump system. This system ensures that the water level in the bilge does not rise too far risking instability or even possibly sinking of the SeaPod.We have a differential pressure sensor that allows the system to constantly monitor the water level in the […]
Full Smart Shower Demo
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a great demonstration of our full smart shower system from Omer. He walks us through each of the parts that all come together to deliver a convenient and relaxing shower experience. Omer has mocked up an easy-to-see example of how this system will work. Starting with the jet pump and controller. This […]
Automatic Water Temperature Adjustment System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The shower in the SeaPod will be controlled either by voice or by a touch screen using our home automation app. The days of fidgeting with shower knobs to get the perfect temperature are over. With our system, you will get the perfect temperature every time.The shower temperature will be set by degrees in the […]
Bilge Pump Integration into the home automation software
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have Omer giving us a demonstration of how the bilge pump will integrate with the home automation system that is at the core of the SeaPod. He shows us a preview of what the data that you will be able to see in the app will look like.The home automation app will serve […]
Bilge Pump Differential Pressure Sensor for measuring Water Level
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The bilge pump is a critical part of any boat or other floating structure. It works by pumping any water that gets into the bottom of the boat or structure back out into the sea. The bilge pump is an integral part of keeping boats above the water since most boats and structures are not […]
Poop Separator
Omer Larrañaga Design
Here we have a video of two of our 3D printers working on some components of the poop separator for the incinerator toilet. The poop separator does exactly what its name implies, it separates the solid waste from the liquid waste.The liquid waste is strained out and goes into the blackwater system where it will […]
Incinerator Heat Exchanger
Omer Larrañaga Design
Part of making a super-efficient home is finding ways to repurpose things that would otherwise be wasted. In this case, we will be repurposing the heat that is generated from our jet incinerator system. Since the incinerator system will generate quite a bit of heat when burning the waste, we decided to try to harness […]
Smart Jet Burner For The Incinerator Toilet
Omer Larrañaga Technology
One of the challenges with developing the SeaPod is that it won’t be connected to a local grid so it can’t connect to a sewer system. Also, since the SeaPod will be floating in the ocean, we don’t have a yard in which we can bury a septic tank. This leaves us with a big […]
Incinerator R&D Production Facility
Omer Larrañaga Other
While we make quite a bit of the components for the SeaPod at the Ocean Builders Factory here in Panama, some things require a bit more than we can handle at the factory. One example of this is the components of the incinerator for the incinerator toilet. We are working with a fully sophisticated facility […]
Electric Turbine Engine Design
Omer Larrañaga Design Technology
Today, Grant has a really exciting project to show us, energy-efficient steam-powered turbines. When thinking of steam power, many might conjure up notions of old, behemoth trains and factories, but steam power is by no means confined to the industrial age of the 19th and 20th centuries. The team here has developed a number of […]
Proportional Valve For Controlling Gas
Omer Larrañaga Design
The burners for the incinerator toilet are fueled by propane gas. Since this system will be fully automated, we needed a way to automatically operate the valves to control the flow of gas to the burners. We are back in the workshop with Omer who has built a prototype to show how this will function. […]
Shower Assembly Update
Omer Larrañaga Design
There aren’t many things about the SeaPod that most people would consider ordinary. We are pushing the boundaries everywhere we can and the shower is no different. While it would have been easier to install a simple knob-controlled shower that you would find in most homes, we decided to go beyond what is normal and […]
Demo: Smart Desalination System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We are back with Omer who has a demonstration of the operation of our smart desalination system. This is the reverse-osmosis filtration system that will supply the SeaPod with clean and safe drinking water. The system is powered by a one-horsepower motor that supplies the power to the pump which pressurizes the system. Reverse osmosis […]
The SeaPod Poop Scale
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The SeaPod uses a jet incinerator to dispose of the solid waste from our toilet system. This incinerator is fueled by propane so it is something that needs to be efficient so that it does not burn unnecessary fuel.We could not design the incinerator to operate on a regular basis based on time because depending […]
Hot And Cold Water Mixer For The Shower
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Most homes have either a two-knob or a single-knob design for adjusting the water temperature in the shower. These allow us to adjust the temperature to make the water warmer or colder as needed. While this is a tried and true way of controlling the water in the shower, we want to take the SeaPod […]
Incinerator Flame Detector
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The jet incinerator system will be a fully autonomous system that will monitor itself and run when needed. Since this system involves open flames and high heat, it has a few dangers associated with it. One of the safety measures that we are implementing is a flame detector. This sensor does exactly what its name […]
Smart Desalination System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
This is an update on the desalination system that will supply the SeaPod with fresh water. Desalination is a somewhat common method of supplying fresh water to places that do not have enough natural freshwater. Many towns and homes around the world use desalinated water on a larger scale, we are building our own system […]
Master Bedroom Electrical Line Drawings
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a rough drawing that shows the design of the electrical lines within the master bedroom and master bathroom of the SeaPod. This is a basic diagram that shows how the room will be wired and what will be connected to what.
Bilge Pump Update
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here we have a demonstration of the bilge pump controller. Just like in a boat, the bilge pump is responsible for pumping any water out of the bottom of the boat, or the SeaPod spars in our case. The pump is accompanied by sensors that are capable of sensing when the water level is too […]
SeaPod Brain Computer Update
Omer Larrañaga Technology
At the center of all of the systems within the SeaPod will be the Brain Computer. The Brain Computer will be located in the storage area of the SeaPod and while its main function is to operate the home automation systems, we also want to make it fit the futuristic look of the rest of […]
Home Entertainment System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Here is an update on our SeaPod projector system. Piggybacking off of this previous blog post: Pod Projector System, we have a more in-depth look at some of the capabilities of this system. This will be the main media/entertainment system for the SeaPod. Featuring a roll-up screen and a projector, we are able to save […]
Wireless Charger Update
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We have created our own wireless charger that we can use within the SeaPod. As the world moves toward wireless charging technology, it is becoming more and more important to implement it into our everyday lives.As seen in the video, our wireless charger has a ring of LED lights below the surface. These not only […]
Touchscreen User Interface
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The touchscreen interface that we have been developing will act as sort of a control center for your Seapod. This design that you see here incorporates a touchscreen tablet that is encased in a wall-mounted housing box. This allows us to install a tablet on the wall in every room of the SeaPod, or wherever […]
Developing Our Automatic Door Controller
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Our eventual goal is to develop Star Trek-like doors which open automatically when you approach them. Initially, we will have options for touch control with a button in the app or “starting” the door by pulling it. We also will have NFC capabilities that will function with your Smart Ring. The doors will have motors […]
Multiroom Audio In The SeaPod
Omer Larrañaga Technology
High-quality audio is a very big goal for us here at Ocean Builders, but it doesn’t stop at being high-quality, it has to be functional as well. Having audio that perfectly syncs to speakers in every room of the SeaPod is crucial, no one wants to hear lag and latency between rooms.In the SeaPod, you […]
Voice Control In The SeaPod
Omer Larrañaga Technology
Another way that we can add convenience and functionality to the SeaPod homes is with voice control capabilities. Most of us use or are at least familiar with Siri, Alexa, Google Voice Assistant, or another form of digital voice assistant. This technology adds convenience to our cell phones, why not expand it into our homes?Many […]
LED Lighting System for the SeaPod
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We try to keep minimalism and simplicity in mind for the design of the SeaPod, and lighting is no different. Our goal is to stay away from traditional light fixtures that require light bulbs, take up wall or ceiling space, and interrupt the flow of the interior design. Our solution for this is an LED […]
Gas Detector For SeaPod Homes
Omer Larrañaga Technology
The SeaPod will utilize propane gas for some of the functions within the home because it will be much more energy-efficient than electric power. For example, the stove and oven in the kitchen will operate on propane power. Another use for propane will be in the incinerator, which is located in the storage or main […]
Pod Projector System
Omer Larrañaga Technology
In this day and age, home entertainment is as important as ever. The current trend in most houses is to mount a TV that is as big as possible to the wall or on a TV stand, but we have a solution that avoids wasting precious wall space with that big black screen.The full projector […]















































































Update: The New Remote-Controlled Jet Ski Winch
Omer Larrañaga Technology
We’ve designed a smart, remote-controlled jet ski winch to enhance effortless docking and lifting for the SeaPod.Traditional winches require manual operation, meaning you must be physically present to raise or lower the jet ski onto the platform.This makes things tricky when you’re out on the water approaching the SeaPod, as you either need someone on […]