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Wave Glider Robot Helps Forecast Hurricane Isaac's Path
redletterdave writes with news of a drone that's helping weather forecasters this hurricane season. From the article: "Hurricane prediction is not always an exact science — back in 2005, Hurricane Rita was projected to hit Houston, but missed the region entirely — but the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) is already on the case. A few weeks ago today, the agency launched an experimental Wave Glider robot named Alex into the ocean, hoping the unmanned drone can forecast the direction of future storms. The Wave Glider, which is completely powered by the waves and the sun thanks to solar panels and a unique thrust engine, contains a GPS unit, satellite communications systems, and sensors for measuring water temperature, wind speed, and various wave characteristics. With its ability to withstand strong winds and thrashing waters — which are typically prohibitive for humans and even aerial vehicles — and its ability to theoretically drift in the ocean endlessly without refueling, a single Wave Glider could be used to monitor not just one storm, but several hurricanes occurring over an entire seasonal period. The NOAA hopes to soon use more Wave Glider robots like Alex to help determine more accurate hurricane watches and warnings."
The robot doesn't look like it's intended to help predict anything about Isaac.
From TFA:
The NOAA believes Alex will find itself in a hurricane this coming fall.
The NOAA isn't quite ready to use Wave Glider robots like Alex to directly determine hurricane warnings and watches, but at the moment, the organization is taking notes and testing the device to assume these roles sometime in the near future.
Is it really too hard to put a link to the details? Wave Glider Description
Blizzard is not going to be happy the glider bot is back.
I wonder how these things manage to hold a position and not wind up washed up on a lee shore.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
So basically it is a sensing buoy tethered to a small UUV. Is this going to be cheaper than replacing damaged normal sensing buoys in a storm? What is the cost benefit analysis?
Is the Chief Software Architect at Liquid Robotics.
I think "Alex" is used for Skynet to direct the hurricanes where it wishes. What better way our robotic overlords to throw us off, catch cities unprepared, and serve as precursors for the robot apocalypse?
sudo make me a sandwich
Did anyone else think of using the Wave Surfing Robot model?
The Glider Robot provides more data that CAN be used to increase the accuracy of hurricane prediction models.
The track prediction for Hurricane Isaac has been revised at almost every full advisory update, so I wouldn't use it as an example of its prediction capabilities.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
"Hurricane prediction is not always an exact science"
Hurricane prediction is never "an exact science". If Rita had hit Houston instead of missing, the forecast science would have been no more "exact". The result simply sits within one side of the probability; which it sits in does not change the probability.
" back in 2005, Hurricane Rita was projected to hit Houston, but missed the region entirely " - It may not have Houston dead on, but it was certainly in the region, and Houston felt the affects.
Fine, but how will it withstand being coated in crude oil and attacked by plastic garbage bags?
Saying "The NOAA..." sounds totally weird.
Here's a video of the propulsion in action for those like me who just had to see how it works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eATawqVOXWI
This is similar to the autonomous glider the people at the Large Lakes Observatory use to get data from something that's not moored in one place like research bouys are. The unit here in Duluth cruises around Lake Superior for a few weeks at a time, but they're standard equipment for oceanographers in bigger, saltier puddles too.
It uses the same means of propulsion: turning up-and-down motion into forward motion with wings. Its power source, however, is some onboard batteries rather than a solar cell limiting its endurance (but freeing it from dragging around the solar rig, so it can go deeper and faster). All the battery does is change the volume of a swim bladder, causing the glider to float or sink. Amazing efficient!
Stupid ibtimes link is educated stupid.
So this thing has graduated from hunting great white sharks to hurricanes in less than a week?!!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Oh I sure hope these little robots don't make fun flights like these unnecessary!
Is it just a matter of time before people in boats stop looking for square grouper and start looking for $5M wave gliders to scoop up?
They said Katrina was suppose to ride the west coast of Florida, then they changed it to the Florida Panhandle, and Alabama. Then it changed to hitting the southeast /northeast part of Texas, it is only within about 16-24 hours before the storm finally hit, and of course you all know where that was!! This was all in 4 days, what really bothered me about this was how the weather stations got off without any blame, but the idiot press managed to blame everyone else. You cannot really blame anyone, given how unpredictable these storms are, and people that live in Hurricane prone areas almost always blow off any predictions until the storm is on the coastline. And buy the way was is not scientist who said global warming was suppose to cause more Hurricanes, and ones with higher strength? Since Katrina is has been pretty calm! And the weather has indeed been warmer..
So does this mean that in the war on weather, we can use the drones to shoot down hurricanes and suspected hurricanes before they reach the US?
Great news, I think (clearly I didn't have time to read the summary).
Paul "Say no to feeping creaturism"