Autonomous systems from orbit to the ocean floor, built in the open.
The Open Autonomous Systems Alliance is a member-built community designing drones, robots, boats and the encrypted network that connects them, to make American communities better, cleaner and safer.
Scroll to descend through every layer we work in.
Space
400 km to 20 km
Balloons and small satellites will carry the network above the sky.
- High-altitude balloons: carry sensors and an OASA link to the edge of space. A project chapters can take on, following FAA rules.
- CubeSats: small satellites that test encrypted links in orbit.
- Laser links: narrow beams between satellites, aircraft and ground stations that are hard to intercept.
- Space-ready autonomy: robots that keep working with long delays and no one at the controls.
Sky
20 km to treetops
Aircraft and airships that relay, map, search and watch, some for weeks at a time.
- Atmospheric satellites: solar gliders that stay aloft for weeks, soaring through the night.
- Solar blimps: steerable, heavy-lift platforms for repeaters and sensors over disaster areas.
- Solar fixed-wing: long-range survey aircraft and roving relays.
- VTOL aircraft: take off like a drone, fly like a plane.
- Quadcopter teams: thermal search grids, mapping and supply drops.
- Relay drones: extend the range of smaller drones with weaker radios.
- Storm hunters: tough drones that collect data inside storms.
Mountains
Peaks and ridgelines
High ground covers whole valleys. Robots go where crews can’t easily reach.
- Summit towers: solar mesh nodes on high ground that cover whole valleys.
- Kite and aerostat relays: cheap height for radios and cameras.
- Wildfire watch: thermal drones and blimps acting as modern fire towers.
- Power line robots: inspect lines across steep, remote terrain.
- Legged robots: climb rough slopes where wheels can’t go.
- Avalanche search: drones that find beacons and phones to guide ski patrol.
Ground
Fields, streets and below
Farms, towns and the infrastructure under our feet.
- Mobile hives: trucks and trailers that launch drones while driving or parked.
- Farm robots: scouting, soil sensing and feral hog alerts on the map.
- Snow robots: clear sidewalks and streets on their own.
- City robots: litter pickup and help for neighbors with limited mobility.
- Inspection crawlers: pipes, sewers and water mains below the street.
- Road patrol: potholes, pavement wear and clogged storm drains.
- Sensor nodes: air quality, weather and leak detection on utility poles.
Sea
Rivers, lakes and coasts
Boats and buoys that work the water day and night on solar power.
- Solar boats: survey rivers, lakes and coasts around the clock.
- Buoys: floating mesh nodes and weather stations.
- Cleanup boats: skim algae and debris, then return to base to unload.
- Drone carriers: boats that launch scout drones and recover them.
- Invasive species patrol: spot invasive plants and animals in rivers and lakes.
- Water sampling: collect samples at set points on a schedule.
Underwater
Below the surface
Where radio fails, tethers and sound carry the encrypted link.
- Autonomous subs: survey riverbeds, harbors and lakes.
- Tethered ROVs: strong, light fiber tethers carry power and encrypted data.
- Acoustic links: encrypted, sound-based data where radio can’t reach.
- Reef and wetland robots: replant coral and remove invasive species.
- Robotic fish: quiet swimmers that don’t disturb wildlife.
- Underwater inspection: bridge supports, dams and levees below the waterline.
One encrypted network ties every layer together.
From a balloon at the edge of space to a sub on the riverbed, every system is designed to share one encrypted mesh and show up on the same map, whether it is one person with one drone or a fleet of hundreds.
- Encrypted, always. Every link, wired or wireless, is encrypted. We never set a standard that broadcasts to the world.
- Decentralized. No single server, company or person is required for the system to work.
- Works at every scale. The same system serves one person, a small team or a whole fleet.
- Affordable. Anyone can take part without multimillion-dollar gear.
- Sustainable. Designs are repairable, documented and built to keep running for years.
- Made in America. Designed and built in the U.S., with designs and security reviews published so anyone can check our work.
Start at the roots
The tech tree maps 139 technologies and 23 moonshots. Each one unlocks the next. These are open for members to build right now:
- R-COM1 Basic radio link (off-the-shelf)
- R-COM3 Physical links (copper/fiber tether)
- R-SEC1 Device identity, keys, pairing
- R-PWR1 Batteries and BMS basics
- R-NAV1 GNSS positioning
- X-1 Camera and video streaming
- T-LOG1 Black box logs (OASA-LOG)
- T-BENCH1 Test bench + test software
- M-6 Shore launcher (throws self-inflating flotation device)
How membership works
Apply or get invited
Apply here, or ask any member to invite you. Teams and school cohorts can apply together.
Review
We look at what you've built or done. A formal portfolio isn't required. Raw ability counts.
Interview
A video call about your skills, what drives you and what you want to build.
30-day trial
Work on an OASA project or your own, as long as it moves autonomy forward. You can ask the whole community for help.
Decision
You're accepted, or you get feedback and an invitation to reapply.
Onboarding
Accounts, the contributor agreement and an onboarding buddy.
Chapters
OASA chapters meet inside local makerspaces for build nights, workshops and field tests. Our first chapter is forming in Northern Virginia.
Moonshots
Small builds lead to big ones: a self-sustaining regional mesh, autonomous disaster response, clean rivers and streets, and aircraft that stay aloft for weeks.
Ready to build with us?
Apply to join