Catching Waves, Charging Minds: What a Toy Turtle and a Tesla Taught Me About Ocean Energy

This August, at Broad Cove Reserve in Maine, I stood beside a small wave-energy prototype while families and children gathered around to watch. The device was designed to turn wave motion into electricity—powering live demonstrations like wireless charging and "Tony," a small sea turtle toy that shared stories about the ocean. Since toys like Tony are especially popular with younger kids, I hoped he could catch their attention long enough for me to introduce them to the science behind ocean energy.

As I explained the project, one visitor looked at the prototype and asked me a question I hadn't expected:

“Can this charge my Tesla?”

The answer, at least for now, was no. But the question stayed with me. It helped me realize that people don't just want to know how a device works—they want to understand what it could eventually do for them and their communities.

My interest in ocean renewable energy began through an independent marine engineering project at Tabor Academy. While working with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), I became frustrated by one of its biggest limitations: battery life. That problem led me to a larger question: if an underwater system is already surrounded by moving water, could it use the ocean's energy?

From that spark, I began exploring wave energy and eventually developed my own portable renewable-energy prototype. However, bringing the project to Maine through my Wave to Watts outreach program showed me a very different side of engineering.

At the beach, I was no longer presenting to scientists or explaining my work through equations. Instead, I was actively competing with hermit crabs for the children’s attention! Families came with vastly different scientific backgrounds, which forced me to translate technical concepts into everyday experiences. Rather than focusing on generators, voltage, or efficiency, I began with a simpler idea: What if the waves moving right beside us could help power something we use every day?

The event was also a quick reminder that real-world demonstrations rarely go exactly as planned. At one point, part of my prototype came loose, and I had to make a temporary repair with tape because I didn't have time to reseal the enclosure with glue. You might be surprised to see someone presenting an engineering project while taping her prototype back together on the sand, but that was all part of the experience. Engineering outside a laboratory requires adapting not only to changing conditions, but to the real people interacting with the technology.

The Tesla question completely shifted the way I thought about my work. I had spent so much time asking how I could improve the device itself. That single question pushed me to think about how technology can adapt to a local community's needs—and whether it can eventually operate at a scale that truly matters to people.

Since then, I’ve started thinking beyond a small prototype toward bigger possibilities: powering marine systems, coastal infrastructure, boats, and eventually contributing electricity to larger energy networks.

For me, Wave to Watts has become far more than an engineering project. It’s a bridge to make ocean technology understandable and relevant to the communities it may one day serve. Environmental solutions cannot create meaningful change if they stay locked inside laboratories. Sometimes, progress begins with helping someone look at an ordinary wave and imagine what it might become.

About the author:

Abby Wei leads the Boston Chapter and is a senior at Tabor Academy with a strong interest in marine and energy engineering. She has hands-on experience building underwater vehicles and using underwater photogrammetry to create seafloor maps, and has developed skills in mechanical design, soldering, CAD modeling, data analysis, and full hardware integration. She also designed and built a composite, modular marine power-generation platform, a portable offshore system that integrates wave, solar, and moisture-enabled energy technologies to support long-duration underwater operations. In addition, Abby conducts independent research on sea level rise and tidal dynamics, gaining experience in scientific analysis, writing research papers, designing scientific posters, public presentations, and communicating results through outreach materials. Through these experiences, Abby has developed both technical skills and the ability to explain complex ideas clearly. Her experiences have prepared her to contribute to collaborative learning environments and to support others in understanding engineering concepts.  

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