4 Wave Gliders Begin Their Autonomous Pacific Crossing Attempt

In 2009, an autonomous ocean glider bobbed and dipped its way across the Atlantic; now, reader cylonlover writes with word that "Four small autonomous aquatic robots have embarked on a 60,000-kilometer (37,000-mile) journey across the Pacific ocean. The Wave Gliders, built by California-based Liquid Robotics, left San Francisco last Thursday." Two of the robot craft are to head to Australia, the other two to Japan. According to the IEEE description, "Waves will power their propulsion systems and the sun will power the sensors that will be measuring things like water salinity, temperature, clarity, and oxygen content; collecting weather data, and gathering information on wave features and currents."

Comments

Impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Very impressive, considering that the diameter of the earth is only 12,750 KM.

Re:Impressive

[d3ac0n]

Very impressive, considering that the diameter of the earth is only 12,750 KM.

Heh. Either they goofed up a decimal place somewhere, or these 'bots are following a very crooked path to their destination.

Re:Impressive

[MyLongNickName]

Or, perhaps, as they are taking measurements, they are not going in a straight line? Also, not being powered by anthing more than the waves themselves, I am sure they are subject to the ocean currents.

Re:Impressive

[elrous0]

They're taking the scenic route.

Re:Impressive

[SJHillman]

I'm guessing the total of the four robots is 60,000km \ 37,000 miles, which would average to a much more realistic 15,000km \ 9,250 miles each.

Re:Impressive

[MyLongNickName]

And considering the trip is about 300 days, this distance is very realistic.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45394819/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Re:Impressive

[MyLongNickName]

The trip is expected to last 300 days. Doing the math, this is 200 km/day, or roughly 8 km/hr (5 mi/hr for my American friends). If we divided by four, we'd have a 2 km/hr speed.

So, I think the article summary is correct.

Re:Impressive

[fotoflojoe]

Stop, you're making me seasick.

Re:Impressive

[fotoflojoe]

When I let my dog out to autonomously navigate our back yard, she never ever takes the most direct route to the woods, she always follows a circuitous path.

Re:Impressive

[Animats]

Also, not being powered by anthing more than the waves themselves, I am sure they are subject to the ocean currents.

Actually, they tend to stay within 50 meters of their programmed track. I've seen a presentation by the developers. They have a GPS and follow waypoints, and they have an Iridium satellite phone link. As long as there's a little wind to produce even light chop, they get enough energy from wave motion to overcome ocean currents.

Re:Impressive

[fatphil]

it's the waves - they'll be bobbing up and down several metres for every metre they go forward.

Batteries

[TubeSteak]

For those of you just reading the summary, the solar panels exist to recharge the onboard batteries.
Battery capacity is more or less the reason there are major differences in price between Liquid Robotics various offerings.

There used to be a PDF on the website that showed their different models & specs, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore.

Not the only ones doing this..

[willy_me]

Here is another maker of similar products.

http://www.webbresearch.com/

The company I work for, Rockland Scientific, designs sensors that can be attached to these subs. Some of them are rated for 6000m - kind of makes 600' look like a joke...

But another method of collecting data is to simply have floating sensors. Similar data is collected but there is no propulsion except for up and down. Every so often they surface and transmit their collected data. Then they go back down and continue drifting with the current. They are typically used in a disposable manner and only last 5 years. The advantage of these devices is that they are far less costly. It is also convenient to have them follow the ocean current. Around 1000 of these sensors are placed into the ocean each year. A french company makes them, wish I could remember the name.

Re:Not the only ones doing this..

[GonzoPhysicist]

Ah yes, the ubiquitous Argo floats, the wiki page has a great map map showing them covering the world's oceans. I'm amazed boats aren't running into these all the time (or maybe they are?)

Re:Not the only ones doing this..

[camperdave]

Ah yes, the ubiquitous Argo floats, the wiki page has a great map map showing them covering the world's oceans. I'm amazed boats aren't running into these all the time (or maybe they are?)

Considering that the Argo floats spend 95% of their time at depths of 1000 metres or more below the surface, and that they are about the size of a typical welding gas tank (which is a small target in a big ocean) it wouldn't surprise me to learn that there has never been a collision.

one for the Guinness books

[GonzoPhysicist]

I've been working on a CO2/pH monitoring system as a payload for these guys. Really cool stuff, I didn't RTFA but I heard this trip is a world record for longest autonomous ocean going voyage.