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More on Underwater Gliders

Posted by michael on from the stingray dept.

ianjk writes "Abcnews.com is reporting on two underwater gliders developed by the University of Washington and Webb Research. Both use very little energy and have quite long ranges (thousands of kilometers). Of course, the US Navy is showing quite an interest in the project." We mentioned these earlier.

2 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Ridiculous by PhysicsGenius · · Score: 0, Troll
    Energy = work = force times distance. And, in the case of moving through a fluid, force is proportional to the square of the area times the viscosity. Let's say that the square of the area of the glider is 1 unit. And let's say the viscosity of air is 1 and that of water is 2. Then the energy to push the glider through water is twice as high as it would be in air.

    This is exactly why water transport is a dead end that has rarely worked in the past.

    1. Re:Ridiculous by GeckoX · · Score: 0, Troll

      Ahh, I see, this must be why there are no ships anymore, I was wondering where they all went... ...Ohh, feeding the trolls am I, oops ;-)

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