The tech keeping Plastiki afloat

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Adventurer and entrepreneur David de Rothschild and his crew of six traveled more than 17,000km across the Pacific on a craft made from discarded PET bottles and plastics. ZDNet Asia's sister site ZDNet Australia offers a glimpse of the tech below deck on the epic Plastiki voyage.

The Plastiki completed its journey on Jul. 26 after docking at Sydney's National Maritime Museum.

Photo and caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
The crew of the Plastiki used satellite data gear from Inmarsat and Hewlett-Packard laptops and phones to broadcast classroom sessions and news interviews from the middle of the ocean. Over 16,000 people followed the voyage of Plastiki through Twitter and Facebook alone.

Photo by Plastiki
Caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
The HP Mini Note catches some rays on the deck of the Plastiki.

Photo by Plastiki
Caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
Inmarsat kept the Plastiki in touch with the land and emergency services.

Photo by Plastiki
Caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
The operations center of the Plastiki keeps the boat going. The Plastiki is powered by several car batteries. The crew had to make modifications to the power supply to make sure it could go the distance.

Photo by Plastiki
Caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
The Plastiki and its crew make their way to the finish line in Sydney.

Photo by Patrick Riviere
Caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
This is the armadillo-like shell that the crew members lived in during the four-month journey.

Photo and caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
Inside the armadillo.

Photo and caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
Skipper Jo Royle tells us that the walls inside the armadillo are made from PET bottles with a foam core, meaning that the boat was able to bend and stretch on the voyage.

Photo and caption by Luke Hopewell

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell
The catamaran-shaped Plastiki is kept afloat by hundreds of PET bottles lined within the boat's arms, or amas.

Photo and caption by Luke Hopewell

This story was first posted in ZDNet Australia.

Published: September 6, 2010 -- 03:05 GMT (20:05 PDT)
Caption by: Luke Hopewell

1 of 10 NEXT PREV

Adventurer and entrepreneur David de Rothschild and a crew of six traveled over 17,000km in a four-month journey across the Pacific on a craft made from discarded PET bottles and plastics.